Josh Mulligan will take Hibs transfer talk in his stride as David Gray teases ‘brilliant boy’ over off-field smarts
Josh Mulligan will take Hibs transfer talk in his stride as David Gray teases ‘brilliant boy’ over off-field smarts.
Mulligan has been connected with Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, and Grey believes it implies he is doing something right.
Hibs manager David Grey joked that Josh Mulligan is intelligent on the pitch but not so bright off it.
With that in mind, Grey has backed his star performer to maintain his focus in the face of transfer speculation in the midfielder.
Following his fantastic performance in last weekend’s 3-0 win against Falkirk, which prompted teammate Martin Boyle to compare Mulligan to John McGinn, the 23-year-old has been linked with Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.
Given how well the 23-year-old has performed since joining from Dundee in the summer, Grey is not surprised that teams are keeping an eye on the Scotland squad player.
He is pleased with Mulligan’s approach and is not concerned about what talk of a move to the Premier League would do to his player’s head.
Grey, whose squad is preparing for Monday’s televised match at Rangers, asked: “Do I need to chat with players about interest? That is very individualised.
“I don’t think you should do that unless you have something to talk about. If others are speaking positively or highly of you, you must be doing something correctly.
Sometimes your job is to bring them back down to earth, but to be honest, I’ve never had to do that with any of the guys here.
“Josh just goes about his business the same way every day; he’s someone I pick on occasionally for not being the sharpest.
“But he’s a fantastic youngster to work with. As long as he’s in a good frame of mind on Monday night and ready to try and maintain his level of performance, he’s not hurting himself.
Mulligan has played in all 24 of Hibs’ games this season, starting 22.
His performance against the Bairns was perhaps his greatest, as he outperformed two-goal hero Kieron Bowie to win the man of the match award.
Mulligan showcased his tremendous ball running by drawing fouls, resulting in three Falkirk players getting booked.
Boyle compared him to Aston Villa and Scotland playmaker McGinn due of his strength.
John McGinn (Image: Cameron Smith, Danehouse/Getty Images) ) Grey continued, “I believe that’s a fairly excellent guy to be compared to; John has had a fantastic career.
I can see why when we consider the analogies, especially in the Falkirk game where he runs through tackles. “Three or four people are holding him.
He’s a strong runner, which you’d expect from John McGinn. “Just the hustle and bustle of going out the other side, believing he’s lost the ball four times and yet comes out with it.
However, they share a similar attitude: they are hard-working, honest, and humble youngsters who simply want to improve their football skills and have fun.
That’s one thing I hope Josh is doing right now: enjoying his football, which is the most important thing.” Gray’s preparations for Ibrox have been complicated by the uncertainty of when his Africa Cup of Nations teammates would have to leave.
He is expected to lose Uganda defender Jordan Obita, DR Congo centre back Rocky Bushiri, and Zambia midfielder Miguel Chaiwa to the tournament in Morocco, which begins on December 21.
The easter Road manager hopes to have at least two of those players for the match against Rangers, although he was still waiting for official confirmation last night.
Grey said further: “We’ve still not got complete confirmation, so I don’t want to say that and then it not be the case.” Communication and exchanges between nations continue.
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