Hibernian boss Lee Johnson will be desperate to improve on their disappointing fifth-placed finish last season, with Aberdeen and arch-rivals Hearts finishing above them in the table.
The club enter the Europa Conference League at the second qualifying round following Celtic’s victory in the Scottish Cup and with the first leg due to take place on 27 July, Johnson doesn’t have long to assemble a squad good enough to progress through to the group stages and the financial rewards that come with it.
The main issue for the manager is adding some quality defenders to his squad, with Paul Hanlon and Rocky Bushiri the only recognised centre-backs at the moment.
Johnson has admitted that he wants to secure new loan deals for duo Will Fish and CJ Egan-Riley, who spent time north of the border in temporary moves from Manchester United and Burnley respectively and the signing of Fish, in particular, could certainly help the 42-year-old solve his defensive crisis.
Could Hibs sign Will Fish this summer?
Another loan move is certainly possible, especially considering the impact he made having joined in the summer of 2022.
The Englishman has featured 59 times for both the U18 and U21 sides at United, while even making his first team debut in the Premier League back in 2020/21, underlining his vast potential.
Gaining regular senior experience was vital for his development, thus a move to Hibs would prove to be a wise choice, with his performances pleasing Johnson, who waxed lyrical about the 20-year-old.
He told BBC Sportsound (via Football Scotland): "He's been fantastic. I've said before if you could build a centre half, you'd build Will Fish. He's a great student and a great lad and he's had to up his gravitas levels for this league and his on-pitch personalities.
"He's a lad that had never played a league game so far in his career. He went to Stockport last year and hardly played a game so it's a big step for him and one that he has really taken to well.
"He's trusted by the boys, trusted by the staff and it's a great sign."
High praise indeed and over 21 games in all competitions, he scored three times while across the whole squad, he ranked fifth for overall rating via Sofascore.
He also impressively sat fourth for interceptions per game and first for clearances per game, clearly proving how effective he was defensively and that he had a positive influence on the team.
Another temporary move would be a no-brainer, especially with European competition on the horizon and Fish could play another key role for Hibs during 2023/24 if he moved to the Easter Road outfit.
