Hibs hero Tam McManus reckons that his former club have one too many loan players at the moment.
Elie Youan, Ryan Schofield, Momodou Bojang, Will Fish and Mykola Kukharevych are all on loan at Easter Road and manager Lee Johnson talked up his relationship for potentially bringing in more youngsters from the latter's parent employer, The City Group collection of clubs.
But former attacker McManus, writing in his Daily Record column, reckons that an impressive youth side currently competing in the UEFA Youth League should be looked at to bolster this Hibs squad, rather than looking for temporary solutions like ex-boss Terry Butcher did. He said: "Right now Hibs ’ loanees are struggling to have much at all. Mykola Kukharevych nabbed his first goal on Friday and looks good but Ellie Youan is struggling for goals and Momodou Bojang and Will Fish have barely been seen.
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"Throw in back-up goalkeeper Ryan Schofield and it’s five loanees currently on the books at Easter Road. That’s too many. Lee Johnson has been waxing lyrical about his connection with the City Group that’s brought Kukharevych on loan from Troyes.
"He’s right to build these contacts and use them as and when required to plug gaps and add quality. But there’s no doubt you can have too many loan players. Hibs went down that route with Terry Butcher and got relegated.
"Hibs are a club who should have players tied down, especially the core, and then look to their own youth set-up which right now is bursting with talent too."
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