Revealed: The three Hibs players Lee Johnson believes should be on Scotland radar

Lee Johnson believes three current Hibs players should be targeting Scotland call-ups.

Lee Johnson is keen to see some of his top performing players rewarded with international call-ups

With striker Kevin Nisbet approaching full fitness after a minor injury, and new defensive signing Mikey Devlin having three caps already, Johnson would be surprised if the forward isn’t under consideration but believes the 29-year-old centre-back shouldn’t dismiss the possibility of a return to the international fold in the future.

“Certainly quality-wise, when you see Mikey’s ability to slow down the mind’s eye, to be composed, and calm. All his defending decisions are very good and you can see that, whether it is in small sided games or when it opens up on a big pitch. He’s a really good communicator so I don’t think anything is out of the realms, he just needs to learn to trust his body,” the Hibs boss said.

“When you can tick off little markers, like one or two games on the spin, three games in a week, six games in a month, a good pre-season, you start to get consistency. All of those things lead to more consistency and absolutely he can get back to where he was and therefore being in and around Scotland squads.”

Mikey Devlin won three Scotland caps towards the end of 2019

Perhaps frustratingly Hibs have another blank weekend, so plans to extend their six-game unbeaten run will have to wait until next month’s trip to Livingston, but there will still be action for the Capital club during the downtime.

“We keep a consistency in terms of weekend games. We have St Mirren on Friday, just to make sure we are within a day of that consistent plan. Obviously that gives us a chance to try a couple of youngsters or rest lads who have had games or 60 minutes or 90 minutes, whatever we require for each individual, and then the boys get the weekend off and we come back on Monday nice and sharp.”

Nisbet should be back in contention for Livingston on Saturday March 4, although he could also feature in the bounce game this weekend, after overcoming a hamstring strain that kept him out of the games against St Mirren and Kilmarnock. Johnson expects him to be under consideration for the next national squad after a blistering return to action following a ten-month lay-off.

One player Johnson is keen to see make the step up to the Scotland squad is midfielder Josh Campbell. The Easter Road boss hopes the 22-year-old will be ‘watched on a regular basis’ given his form this term at club level.

“He’s one that sticks out in my mind, in terms of international recognition,” Johnson added. “I know there’s quality in that squad, and it’s not easy to break into, but I feel like he’s ready to make that step.

“I think he is one who is starting to show signs in terms of composure and end product – his fitness has never been in doubt. His goals return has been good this year and I think that will continue. Now it’s about the intelligence of receiving the ball in tight areas and having the composure to slow down the mind’s eye, of which I have seen vast improvement over the last month. I feel like he is in that phase where I hope he is being watched on a regular basis for that senior call-up.”