Josh Doig says he was ready to handle transfer speculation over his Hibs future this summer - as the last frenzy left him lost for where.
The left-back has completed a big move abroad, joining Serie A side Hellas Verona in a deal which has raked in seven figures for the Hibees. Doig has spent two full seasons playing regularly senior football at Easter Road and his potential has prompted him to join the likes of Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson and Liam Henderson in swapping Premiership life for an Italian job.
It could have been so different for the Scotland youth international though. Last summer, previous Hibs head coach Jack Ross left him out of their opening Premiership match against Motherwell as a transfer away from Leith looked near. At that time, English Premier League heavyweights were linked and there were even suggestions AC Milan were on to his case.
READ MORE: Josh Doig explains his Hibs exit and the Aaron Hickey chat that helped sell him on Serie A transfer
A big transfer falling through proved tough for Doig to deal with and it wasn't the ideal start to a campaign where Hibs eventually finished in the bottom six, a year on from finishing third.
This time around, things were different, and Doig says harsh lessons learned in that scenario were good for him when speculation picked up again.
Speaking exclusively to Edinburgh Live Sport , he said: "This year, it was all the rumours about this move to Hellas Verona. But last year, everything with my move then fell through. My head was all over the place so this year it was about focusing on football.
"I had to not worry about transfers. Whatever will be, will be. Now I am here in Verona and everything just seemed to happen at once. This is an amazing thing for myself.
"Italy is such a beautiful place. It is my first time being here and to be in a place like Verona... I have seen the city now that I have been over here for a couple of days.
"It's such a beautiful place, absolutely stunning. So for myself, this will be a brand new experience but it is a good one at that."
With a move to a top five European league will come questions over when Doig will be considered for Scotland national team selection.
His position is arguably the hardest to break into, with captain Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney both world-class options for head coach Steve Clarke. Doig says settling into life abroad has to come first.
When asked if moving to Hellas Verona could enhance his national team chances, the 20-year-old explained: "Hopefully! There is a lot of competition there at the moment though, obviously.
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
"Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney are two of the best left-back's in the world just now. So it is going to be hard.
"At the moment, I am just new to Hellas Verona. I need to get my foot in the door there and start playing some games. I need to get through pre-season here and then yeah, I can focus ahead to that soon."
READ NEXT:
- Hibs in transfer coup as they beat Premier League clubs to Reuben McCallister signing
- Hibs hand five promising young stars first pro deals as Steve Kean lays down challenge
- Hibs new boy Momodou Bojang reveals details of Lee Johnson chat that sold him on Easter Road move
- Joe Newell in 'not good enough' Hibs verdict as he hopes Falkirk loss was a 'little blip'
