Exclusive:Premier League veteran Hanley on Hibs role in Scotland extra time as Bowie World Cup chances assessed
Former Newcastle and Blackburn defender joined by ex-Fulham striker in Steve Clarke squad
Hibs defender Grant Hanley believes being included in the latest Scotland squad proves that signing for the Easter Road club was a smart move. And he’s backed new team-mate Kieron Bowie to continue impressing on international duty as Steve Clarke’s men kick off their World Cup 2026 campaign this week.
Hanley, who had played all of his senior football south of the Border before being persuaded to join David Gray’s squad last month, had a number of options to remain in England after his contract with Birmingham City expired. But the veteran central defender, who attended the Europa League home game against Midtjylland with former international team-mate David Marshall, now right-hand man to Hibs sporting director Malky Mackay, was won over by the Edinburgh club’s sales pitch.
Experienced defender has 62 Scotland caps
Premier League veteran Hanley, a former Newcastle and Blackburn star with 62 caps for Scotland, is eager to get stuck into a World Cup campaign that begins with Friday night’s trip to Copenhagen to face Denmark, saying: “Yeah of course, of course. It's an honour to play for your country. And every time, every time you get called up, you're just always so proud. I’m really happy to still be involved with the national team.
“Obviously, I had half an idea of coming here and playing minutes would keep me in the national team manager's thoughts. So, you know, happy to still be involved in another World Cup campaign. Hopefully, it'll be successful.
“It feels like a kind of short, sharp campaign with such a small group. Obviously we'll know by November what sort of way we stand. So, I think we need to hit the ground running and be ready to go.”
Denmark and Belarus away first steps on road to World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico and USA
Clarke takes his team to Hungary to face Belarus next Monday in the second leg of a daunting away double-header. They then host Greece and Belarus at Hampden next month, before rounding off the section away to Greece and at home to the Danes in mid-November, with the Group C winners going straight through to the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA next summer – and the runners-up going through play-offs in March of 2026.
Hanley, who worked alongside Bowie when the 22-year-old was called into the summer squad for a friendly double-header, the former Fulham forward left on the bench for the home loss against Iceland but getting 12 minutes as a late sub in the leathering of Liechtenstein, is looking forward to another week on the training ground with his club-mate. Especially as Hibernian’s hectic European schedule has meant the pair getting little time to bond on the pitch at East Mains.
Bowie joined ex-Hibee Josh Doig in squad for summer friendlies
Hanley, who played the full 90 minutes in yesterday’s 1-1 draw with St Mirren at Easter Road, revealed: “To be honest, it's been funny since I've been in because of our schedule, it's sort of been recovering, preparing for games, playing, recovering, preparing. So we've not really had huge amounts of time on the training pitch together.
“But we could see it with Scotland, when he joined us in the summer. Everyone in the Scotland squad could see it, the attributes that he had.
“He’s a wee bit of a throwback, especially with his attitude and how physical he is and how aggressive and his determination. A lot of these attributes are the sort of things you can't really teach; you’ve either got it or you've not. He’s a great player to have on your side.
“Kieron was involved in the summer and he's done really well. I'm really impressed.
“And, again, obviously coming in and working day to day with him and seeing his qualities. It didn’t really surprise me. Because I think, probably similar here, the Scotland squad's, you know, quite welcoming.
“So when he came into the Scotland squad in the summer, you see straight away the type of lad he is, that personality that he's got - and obviously the qualities he's got. Working with him day to day just sort of confirms that. He's got all the attributes to really have a good career.”
Dropped points at home to St Mirren after UEFA Conference League exit
Bowie and Hibs join up with Scotland feeling a little bruised around the edges by dropping points at home to St Mirren, even if they did show grit – Hanley as a starter, Bowie as a second-half sub – to force a draw after going a goal down just a couple of days after crashing out of the UEFA Conference League in heart-breaking fashion. Within the group, there’s an understanding of what it will take if they’re to earn another crack at Europe next season.
Asked if there had been much dressing-room discussion on returning to continental competition, Hanley revealed: “No, no particular chat, because that's a given. It doesn’t need to be said.
“I think, you know, the experience we've had on nights like last Thursday in Warsaw, it's probably something you don't even really need to talk about. That's the target and that's what you want more of.
“So it was disappointing to draw at home against St Mirren. Three points would have been nice, wouldn't it? I know. If we want to be, you know, successful we need to be, you know, strong at home.
“But I think also off the back of going behind after the schedule we've had, it’s a good show of character to come back in the game and at least get a point for it. Obviously I've just been here a few weeks, so just sort of trying to find my feet in the dressing room and get to grips with that. But you can see, particularly in the European run that the boys have been on, the type of character that's in the dressing room and, you know, what they offer.
“We’ve seen what they can do when the pressure's on and also against a wee bit of adversity. We've shown that in Europe and I think, for me personally, you get that feeling straight away as soon as you come in, you get that feeling in the dressing room. You can feel how together the lads are and that on the pitch.”