Hibs and the international carrot that proved pivotal to key transfer deal as 'high hopes' remain over star

David Gray believes Republic of Ireland admiration has helped boost Owen Elding’s initial Hibs impact - as he holds high hopes for the striker.

The 20-year-old is with Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side for training ahead of friendly matches against Qatar and Canada. Elding is unable to feature as he strives to sort passport issues, but amid potential eligibility with England, Ireland are keen to make sure he stays in emerald green. Elding has impressed at Hibs since arriving from Sligo Rovers in the winter transfer window, netting three times in 13 matches, as hopes of him being a long-term Kieron Bowie replacement remain high.

Bowie swapped Easter Road for Italian outfit Hellas Verona in January and Elding has been his most like-for-like replacement. Hibs boss Gray admits the club do have major aspirations for what Elding can do at Premiership level, already earning his place as a regular starter, and believes international recognition has provided a lift.

What do Hibs think about Owen Elding?

“I think that’s a credit to him, I really do,” said Gray. “I spoke a lot, when he first joined, about not putting too much pressure on him. But we do have really high hopes for his future. And his probably contributing a lot more than we asked of him initially. We deliberately didn’t put the pressure on him as a young boy. It was just about looking at game time, to see what we were looking at, how often he would play.

“I mean, we always knew he'd have a big say in the season. But he's become a regular on the team, and rightly so for his level of performance - even just how mature he is in the way he is every day. He’s a very grounded boy, very hard-working, and he deserves the praise and accolades he's getting at the moment. It’s certainly not affecting how he works and how he trains, and his full focus right now is playing well and scoring goals for Hibs. But I think even being mentioned as a potential international would have given him a lift.”

National team selection was used as a carrot by Hibs when initially trying to lure Elding away from the League of Ireland. Martin Boyle, Rocky Bushiri, Ante Suto and Bowie are all recent examples of stars who’ve launched international careers from their Hibs platform and Gray sees no reason why his import from Sligo can’t do similar.

How did Hibs land Owen Elding?

“It definitely does mean a lot to the players,” added Gray on call-ups for national teams. “That’s something we speak a lot about when we’re bringing players to the club, what this platform can do for them as potential internationals. We’ve got the track record. That was all part of the conversation we had with Owen. When you’re trying to bring a young and talented player like him to the club, you can tell them it will only strengthen their opportunity to play international football.

“Coming in during the January window, I told him that the stronger he finished the season, especially at the very end, if you finish the season really strong, international managers look at that.“It’s the time of year when some squads might change, they maybe bring players in, have a look at some younger ones. Players get opportunities they might not get at other times.

“So you're always being judged, especially for younger players getting opportunities. The stronger you can finish the season, you put yourself into that category. And that's the highest level you can get for professional football players, representing your country. So that's a carrot for everybody really.”