Will Fish to Hibs transfer latest as Lee Johnson provides update on Man United defender and striker hunt

Easter Road boss is eager to have the 20-year-old Old Trafford defender back at Easter Road this season.

Lee Johnson insists he’s “very positive” about landing Will Fish for a second season-long loan at Hibs. And the Easter Road boss is confident the defender’s return to Leith won’t signal the end of his summer transfer trawl as the Leith recruitment team cast their net wide for fresh blood having already made six signings.

Fish is expected to play for Manchester United in their glamour friendly against French giants Lyon at Murrayfield on Wednesday night. After that Hibs will press on with finalising a deal to have him in the door ahead of the new campaign. And he won’t be the last if Johnson has his way.

Top priority remains a striker to help Adam Le Fondre fill the void left by the departure of Kevin Nisbet to Millwall but the Leith boss reckons that’s the toughest market of the lot right now. Johnson has already added Le Fondre, Dylan Levitt, Jordan Obita and goalkeepers Jojo Wollacott and Max Boruc along with a permanent deal for Elie Youan and insists he’s happy with how his squad is shaping up.

And on Fish, who made 21 appearances last season, he said: “We’re in constant contact with Manchester United and I am in constant contact with Will himself. I’m very positive about that one. But until it is signed, sealed and delivered it’s not one I can guarantee is going to happen.

“I think it’s shaping up nicely. Every manager will tell you yeah, they want a couple more. I have in my mind’s eye what utopia is but the reality is you don’t get utopia in one window because there are obviously some outs to happen.

“And you have got to make sure it makes sense financially. But we keep building and we keep progressing. Obviously the loss of Nizzy’s quality is something you’d like to look to replace, but it’s not easy in this market.

“Boards and recruitment departments don’t like it when you put a number on how many you want because it puts them under pressure and I understand that. And I actually don’t have a number this time.

“In my head I have what I see as realistic utopia for where we are.. and if I get half of that I’ll be happy. We’re still active in the market, I still think what we need to crop up will crop up. But certainly that striker one is a difficult market at the moment, all across Europe. And we’re everywhere, by the the way.

“That’s the one for so many clubs. And if I was a striker I’d be demanding a lot of money!”

Johnson is happy the squad at his disposal now reflects his own footballing beliefs after overhauling the Easter Road playing staff in the last two windows.

The addition of Brian McDermott as director of football under owner Ian Gordon has helped strengthen the recruitment team ahead of a massive season at home and abroad that kicks off with the Conference League qualifier against either Vikingur or Inter Club d’Escaldes in Leith a week tomorrow.

And Johnson said: “One of the beauties of having been here a year now as manager is everybody is tuned in now to my way of thinking. In terms of the recruitment team, Ian has now become the owner but he was heading that up before.

“We had a good January as well, both in terms of outs and ins, and I think we have had a really good summer window as well with more work to be done. So I feel everybody knows what a Lee Johnson Hibs player looks like, or what I’m going to pick for Hibs in that starting 11, because it should be a Hibs player, as I’m just a custodian of the role. But at the same time I’m the one who picks the team and therefore that balance changes.

“And every little scenario has a domino effect. Let’s say Chris Cadden is out then you have a choice. You go and sign another Cadden on loan maybe until he is back.

“Or you give Kenayo Megwa or Lewis Miler the chance to go and do their thing. And they will get that chance over the pre-season period.”