Hibs loan report - update on entire team of prospects, flops and former star signings cast far and wide

From the Low Countries to Scotland’s lower leagues, how are the exiles faring?

Out of sight but not out of mind. That’s how a good loan deal SHOULD work, of course.

Hibs have a whole team full of players plying their trade elsewhere at the moment. Partly out of a fairly desperate need to trim the senior squad. But also because it makes enormous sense for young players to go out and get game time in the lower leagues.

All of the main decision makers at the Hibs Academy recognise that, in making that final step from age-grade football to the first team, there is an enormous physical leap required. Playing against grown-ups is the most effective way of developing the strength needed to become a more rounded footballer.

So, yes, one or two of the loanees still contracted to Hibs may speak to the mildly chaotic transfer policy created by constant managerial changes; last summer’s marquee signing being sent away to rediscover himself is never a good look. And there are always youngsters who are, through no fault of their own, just marking time before they make a more permanent move.

Used well, though, the loan system can benefit everyone involved. So let’s take a look at the entire starting XI – plus a few subs - Hibees have farmed out to other clubs, whether that be for a few months or the entire campaign.