Birmingham City role has been ‘easy to accept’ as Grant Hanley opens up on his future
Grant Hanley spoke to BirminghamLive after starting his first League One game for Birmingham City against Burton Albion
Grant Hanley admits it’s been ‘easy to accept’ his role on the fringes at Birmingham City because of the ‘phenomenal’ pair keeping him out.
The 61-cap Scotland international finally made his first league start for Blues in their 2-1 win over Burton Albion on Easter Monday.
Hanley has been limited to substitute appearances since arriving on a free transfer from Norwich City in January due to the superb form of Christoph Klarer and Ben Davies.
Reflecting on his first League One start, Hanley told BirminghamLive: “It was nice to get the win, that’s the most important thing. Personally, I was a wee bit rusty at times, I was reasonably pleased with how I did.
“I’ve been here since January so it feels like it’s been a long time coming, but it is what it is. I feel like I’m part of something here and the club is clearly going to be really successful.
"The players playing in my position have been phenomenal. I’m biased because I’m a centre-back but I don’t think Chris or Davo have put a foot wrong since I’ve been here.
“They are players who have played at a much higher level and they are going to again. For me, it’s been easy to accept if that makes sense because they’ve been doing so well. I’ve been happy to play my part and keep pushing.”
Hanley, who has three promotions from the Championship on his CV, only signed a six-month contract and his future is now up in the air.
With Klarer and Krystian Bielik under contract, Phil Neumann on the way, and Ben Davies likely to be a transfer target for the Blues hierarchy, Hanley might not be rewarded with game time if he does sign for next season.
However, with 428 professional appearances to his name, the 33-year-old is happy to contribute in ways other than just playing on the pitch.
“At the time it was more to go somewhere where I felt I could add value,” Hanley explained. “I looked at it and knew it was going to be tough to get game time because of how the lads were playing and the calibre of players that are here.
“From speaking to the manager and knowing some of the lads, I knew the type of club it was and the ambition.
“I wanted to be involved in the second half of the season and past that, let’s see what happens.
“I’m at a stage in my career now where I can’t look too far ahead. It’s tomorrow’s training really, let’s get through that and then the next one.
“I feel like I can add value and I’ve got something to offer so let’s see.”