Ryan Porteous speaks on Rangers links as Hibs defender makes contract admission

Hibs defender Ryan Porteous has admitted he would have seriously considered extending his Easter Road stay – if club chiefs had put an offer to him 18 months ago.

The centre-back’s current contract runs out in the summer, and despite Hibs attempting to tie down the Scotland internationalist on a new deal, manager Lee Johnson confirmed last month that Porteous could leave in January having opted not to sign on the dotted line.

Johnson said: “Ryan ain’t signing a new contract. We’ve offered a fantastic contract, a really big one for the football club and in my eyes a contract that should have been offered two and a half years earlier for a player of that quality. We can’t do any more in terms of what we’ve done, the conversations have been good but he’s good, high profile, and he is a young player on a free.”

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Hibs’ 3-2 defeat by Rangers, Porteous spoke candidly about his decision to seek pastures new – and explained why he is keen to move outside of Scotland in the future. There have been links with Udinese in Italy, and a host of clubs in England including Stoke City and Sunderland, while previously clubs in Russia and Turkey have been credited with an interest in Porteous.

Ryan Porteous spoke to Sky Sports about his future

“It was a very difficult decision; something that I didn’t take lightly, or make quickly. I feel I’m maybe not developing as a player as fast as I was so hopefully this will develop me faster. I want to be a regular starter for Scotland and if you’re taken out of that comfort zone and put in a position where you’re developing rapidly it’s going to help you,” he told Sky Sports.

“I like the opportunity and idea of testing myself in a different league. I think there are a lot of boys who have gone down south or abroad and flourished. I’m open to ideas and it’s probably a case of figuring out which one is the best suited for me."

There have been some supporters calling for Porteous to be dropped in the wake of his decision which the defender admits has hurt him, given his love for the club and his position as a supporter.

“I’m not sure anything would have convinced me to stay at Hibs at this stage but if a similar offer was made 18 months or two years ago I think it would have been a no-brainer for me and my family in terms of security,” he explained.

Lee Johnson shares a joke with Porteous during training at East Mains

“I signed a five-and-a-half year deal when I was 18 and there have been multiple offers that have come in for me since then and I’ve been more than happy to stay because I felt I was becoming a better player. But we are where we are.

"It’s never nice to see when some fans turn on you a little bit but that’s football, I understand that, I’m a fan as well, but this is a club I’ve loved since I was five or six years old, and nothing’s changed. It’s disappointing the way it’s ending but I’m trying to look at the positives for myself.”

There was much speculation that Rangers could move for Porteous in January; something of a surprising link given the player’s relationship with the Light Blues over the past few years, but he restated his desire to leave Scotland in order to further his career, ruling out a shock move west, with Gers boss Michael Beale also playing down the speculation. “As I said, I do really like the idea of moving to a different league and challenging myself so I don’t think that would have gone down too well,” he added, with a grin.

Porteous is keen to become a regular fixture in the Scotland squad, starting games rather than warming the bench. Having had a taste of that in an impressive showing against Ukraine in Poland and received 14 caps for the under-21s, he believes he has to move on in order to force his way into Steve Clarke’s thoughts.

Porteous believes he isn't developing as quickly as he was

“Every time you go away with Scotland you come back to training and it’s a bit of a comedown, because it’s such a high standard and high intensity in training and games. I try to help the boys here and tell them that the standard at the top level is really high,” Porteous explained. “Having spoken to John McGinn, he says that’s what it’s like at Aston Villa every single day – and that is something I want to aspire to get to.”

Meanwhile, Rangers manager Michael Beale insisted Porteous was ‘not someone the Gers had spoken about’, when quizzed on the Ibrox side’s reported interest in the central defender with the January transfer window around two weeks away from opening.

Beale told BBC Scotland: “[Ryan] is not someone who we’ve spoken about. To be honest, we’ve not spoken about any targets right now. The club had some targets they maybe had in mind but I’ve come in and I want to work with this group.

"Everything has been a bit of a whirlwind over the last two weeks, my focus has been firmly on this group. I think Ryan is a good, young player; he sort-of played in a new position tonight. Fair play to him, he scored a goal and I’ve seen him come through really.

Porteous with ex-Hibee John McGinn on Scotland duty

"I was here when he made his debut and he's gone on to play for Scotland but at the moment, I think he's part of their squad and I wouldn't want to speculate on that. I know it's come out that he's not going to sign a contract so that means he must have something on his mind. If that's the case, it wouldn't be Rangers as we haven't discussed it yet."