Paul Hanlon ‘looks set’ for Hibernians summer departure with potential options in Scotland, England, and abroad.

The long-serving Easter Road star will be out of contract in the summer as the club looks to reduce the average age of its squad.
According to reports, Paul Hanlon is expected to leave Hibernian this summer as part of a shake-up.

The long-serving Easter Road star’s contract expires at the end of the season, and the Scottish Sun reports that he will be one of a number of senior players allowed to seek a new challenge as the Leith club looks to reduce the average age of Nick Montgomery’s first-team squad.
The 34-year-old is in the final months of his current contract, along with veteran No. 1 David Marshall and fellow defender Lewis Stevenson. According to the same report, the stopper will be inundated with offers from Scottish Premiership rivals, teams south of the border, and international clubs as he considers his next steps in the professional game. Hanlon will be remembered as a club hero for his role in breaking the 114-year Scottish Cup drought with that famous victory over Rangers at Hampden. David Gray’s injury-time goal sparked wild celebrations, and Hanlon was also capped for Scotland.

He has appeared 23 times this season in all competitions, including the Europa Conference League qualifying run at the beginning of the season. He has missed the capital club’s last two league games against St Mirren and Celtic, which resulted in two defeats, but he was part of the squad that defeated Inverness the previous time out.

They are currently seventh in the top flight, three points behind Dundee in the race for top six. The club secured a top-half finish and European football last season, and they are looking for a repeat, but they know they must get back to winning ways with some big games coming up, beginning with Aberdeen at Pittodrie this weekend, followed by Dundee at Leith and the Edinburgh derby with Hearts at Tynecastle.

Montgomery and his teammates are also hoping for another Scottish Cup, but they will face a difficult test in the quarterfinals against Rangers and Philippe Clement.

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