Why Hibs squad are impressed with how Josh Doig has handled transfer speculation

Josh Doig’s mentality amid heightened transfer speculation has impressed his more senior team-mates at Easter Road.

Kyle Magennis embraces Josh Doig during Hibs' 3-0 win over Ross County.

The 19-year-old left-back has been linked with a big-money switch to England for six months now, and it appeared a move away from Hibs was on the cards at the end of July when he was taken out of the team as suitors prepared concrete offers.

However, a deal has yet to be struck for last season’s Football Writers Young Player of the Year, resulting in manager Jack Ross restoring him to the starting line-up for Sunday’s 3-0 win over Ross County. Doig put in an impressive performance, setting up one of the goals and being a constant menace down Hibs’ left flank.

Doig is set to be involved again as Hibs face Rijeka in the Europa Conference League third round second leg in Croatia and the maturity levels he has shown despite the transfer talk has been hailed by his team-mate Christian Doidge.

"Josh has been brilliant,” said Doidge. “Last year he was fantastic. He's had a little bit of stuff going on behind the scenes and for him to go and put in a performance like that, he should be really proud of himself.

"I think one of Josh's main strengths is mentality. Behind the scenes, he's a lovely lad. He works so hard and he's definitely reaping the rewards for that. He could have been really stressed about it, but he's come out and put a really good performance in – I've been really impressed by him.”

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.