Next Hibs manager: New shortlist has 'many' UK candidates but Celtic coach not among them

Hibs owner Ron Gordon has revealed that the club has already drawn up a list of potential candidates to succeed Shaun Maloney as manager of the Easter Road side.

The 39-year-old was sacked on Tuesday after just four months in charge, with the club’s hierarchy alarmed by a lack of progress.

The search for a new permanent manager is already under way. Asked if Hibs would look to bring in a manager with experience of the Scottish game, Gordon remained coy.

"We are looking a little broader than that, but how much risk do we want to take? I don't know,” he replied.

"We will cast our net wider in terms of recruitment of coaches and players and the kind of football we want to play. We don't want to limit ourselves.

"We have a list of potentials that has a little bit of everything, but many are from the UK. They’re here, they understand the game and the dynamic, so there's some comfort in that."

One name not on the list is John Kennedy. The Celtic assistant boss has been linked with Hibs in the past but the Evening News has learned the 38-year-old is not under consideration.

Elaborating on the decision to relieve Maloney of his duties, Gordon revealed the Easter Road board had been locked in talks for weeks.

Celtic assistant boss John Kennedy is not in the running for the Hibs job

“One of the board members made an incisive observation in our discussions: if we had seen the team improving week to week and getting better, or individual players getting better, then we might have said, ‘you know what, we are heading in the right direction, he needs more time, we are doing well,” Gordon explained.

“The general consensus was that we weren’t seeing that. There was no improvement, and a very definitive feeling that we needed to make the change.”

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