Hibs star Rocky contract talk latest as boss reveals 'life, football and future' theme amid praise for focus

Hibs defensive stalwart Rocky Bushiri has been praised for maintaining his focus heading into the closing weeks of his Easter Road contract. And manager David Gray has promised the defender that his best run of form in a green-and-white jersey WILL be rewarded – either in Edinburgh or some new environment – as long as he maintains standards between now and the end of the season.

Democratic Republic of Congo international Bushiri said last week that, despite conversations with management and members of the club hierarchy, he was yet to receive an “official offer” to extend his contract beyond the summer. The 25-year-old, who saw a January offer from Egyptian club Zamalek knocked back by Hibs, has been considering his options as a free agent.

The centre-half’s return to the starting XI, allied to a change of formation, back in November coincided with a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Gray’s team, who have gone from relegation battlers to European challengers by putting together a 15-game unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership. Currently sitting third in the table, with a top-six finish assured, they travel to take on Rangers at Ibrox tomorrow full of confidence – thanks, in at least some part, to the performances of Bushiri.

Head coach Gray, revealing details about some of the communications he’s had with Bushiri, explained: “Me and Rocky have had numerous conversations - about him, about life, about football, about everything. And the one thing Rocky Bushiri is doing at the moment is playing very well, without letting himself get distracted.

“I saw him talking about it the other day. He knows he's in a good place. He's enjoying himself; he's playing, he's part of a successful team.

“I'm a massive believer in what's for you won't go by you. So I think he's definitely benefiting from that. He's been through a bit of adversity this season, had to be patient, and he's getting the rewards from that now.

“There are conversations going on all the time, conversations about Rocky and about other players that are out of contract. The earlier we can get things done and everybody understands exactly where they are, the better it is for everybody involved.

“The less uncertainty you've got about your future probably makes you relax a little bit more. But credit to Rocky, it's certainly not affecting his performance, which is brilliant.”

Dramatic goals against Rangers and Aberdeen

Bushiri’s dramatic interventions at big moments this season, including scoring a dramatic late equalisers in pulsating 3-3 draws with both Aberdeen and Rangers, have added to his cult hero status among Hibs fans. But Gray says the eye-catching interventions shouldn’t overshadow the solid defensive work he brings to the team, whether that’s organising the offside trap, making vital recovery runs – or just putting his boot through the ball when the need arises.

“Maybe people outside overlook it, potentially,” said Gray, the former fullback adding: “But the work he does certainly doesn't go unnoticed from his teammates and the coaching staff, that's for sure.

“The run of form since he's come into the team doesn't happen by accident. He's one of several players that have come in and really taken their opportunity. And I think he's maturing all the time as well.

“So you forget he is still quite a young man. He’s 25 years old and is around about nearly 100 games into his senior career.

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“He’s on 98 games now for us. And we know that the level of consistency and performance will improve with age.

“It’s not as if he's a mature centre-back who has played 500 games. He's had injury history when he was younger, then it took him a wee bit to settle.

“He’s learned through tough moments - but he's also always demonstrated that he's got a good attitude and mentality to deal with that. And I think he's maturing all the time.

“Certainly at the moment, he's confident. I think he's always in a very good place fitness wise as well, but he's probably as lean and as strong as I've seen him as well, which is great which comes through playing games more regularly as well.”

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