Hibs have their best signing since John McGinn and I want them in the Scotland squad together – Tam McManus.

Tam is taking his normal precautions to avoid going overboard for once, but he believes Josh Mulligan could be even better if he is held in one position.

Josh Mulligan should be part of Scotland’s World Cup qualification double-header against Greece and Denmark. It would have been fitting if he had appeared beside John McGinn.

After all, he could be the shrewdest financial decision my former club has made since signing the now-Aston Villa captain from St Mirren a little more than ten years ago.

Going overboard is something I would always avoid… yet I am serious. Mulligan has the makings of a great player.

He was the standout player against the Saints on Saturday night and has undoubtedly cemented his place in David Gray’s midfield.

That performance in Paisley was his most remarkable since signing from Dundee in June, and he’s now one of Scotland’s best midfielders.

Mulligan has shown a lot of promise up to this point, but I can’t help but feel that he’s missed out a little due to position changes.

Grey has moved him from central midfield to right wing-back for the majority of the season because Chris Cadden hasn’t started well in that position.

But Mulligan must play centrally week in and week out because he has everything a modern player needs in that engine room.

He has sprinting power, can tackle, and gets into attacking positions to score excellent goals, such as against Livingston and St Mirren.

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John McGinn (Image: SNS Group) Cadden also appears to be returning to form, so no further changes should be required.

Mulligan is only 22 years old, but he plays like a seasoned 29-year-old and could be the most astute move since a 20-year-old McGinn left Paisley.

Rangers must be cursing themselves for passing up signing him under sporting director Kevin Thelwell, previous manager Russell Martin, and the new management at Ibrox.

Mulligan was called up to the last national squad for a home game against Belarus by Steve Clarke in the middle of a doubleheader a month ago.

Fair enough, given the strength of the Scotland manager in that position, I could almost imagine him not being chosen initially.

But, given that players have been sidelined since the squad was selected, I’m not sure why he didn’t receive the nod again. The news that Billy Gilmour will miss Greece and that Lennon Miller will miss both matches made me think of Mulligan.

However, the decision has been reached to go with Rangers’ Connor Barron and West Ham’s Andy Irving. Listen, I’m not going to tell Clarke how to do his job; he does it well enough without my interfering. But I believe the Hibs player is in good enough shape to participate.

Perhaps Hibs fans aren’t too concerned because it will ensure he’s fit and fresh for when the club’s action resumes; the same goes for Kieron Bowie, who was also left out after participating in the previous camp.

Grant Hanley will undoubtedly perform admirably, and it was encouraging to see Jamie McGrath named to the Republic of Ireland squad for qualifiers against Portugal and Hungary.

Hibs fans will be ecstatic because their 3-0 victory over Saints was significant in the context of the season. Last week, I said I wanted to see an all-out offensive.

Although I didn’t get exactly what I was hoping for from the team in terms of Bowie, Martin Boyle, and Thibault Klidje all starting, Grey got it right – as evidenced by the result and performance.

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