Hibs confirm Grant Hanley signing: Contract length revealed, why he's been brought in and David Gray verdict

Hibs head coach David Gray hailed the leadership and defensive qualities of Grant Hanley after the Easter Road club secured a deal for the Scotland internationalist.

Hanley, 33, has been a free agent since his Birmingham City contract expired earlier this summer and the 62-times capped centre-half has penned a two-year contract with Hibs.

The capital club were keen to bolster their defensive options even before the sale of Australia internationalist Lewis Miller to Blackburn Rovers. However, after he moved to the English Championship club for a transfer in the region of £1 million, Hibs have moved swiftly to reinforce.

Grant Hanley has signed a two-year deal at Hibs. | SNS Group

Despite amassing a large number of caps for Scotland, Hanley has never played north of the border. Born in Dumfries, he started his professional career at Blackburn Rovers before moving to Newcastle United. He then joined Norwich City, where he captained the Canaries to promotion to the Premier League, before leaving Carrow Road in January in search of first-team football.

Hanley remains an integral part of manager Steve Clarke’s squad and knows that he needs to play regular first-team football to be in with a shout of playing in World Cup qualifiers, which start next month away at Denmark and Belarus.

“It’s great to be able to bring Grant to the club,” said Gray. “He’s performed at a top-level throughout his career and has a real desire to compete at the highest level in his home nation.

“He’s a strong, robust defender that can play in any role across our back three. He’s a real leader both on and off the pitch and a player of his experience will add a lot to the team. I look forward to working with him.”

Hibs sporting director Malky Mackay added: “We’ve been keen to add another defender to the First Team squad, and we did everything in our power to make sure that we could bring in someone of Grant Hanley’s calibre. He had a number of different options, but we’re delighted he saw Hibs as the right club for him.

“He’s an excellent character to add to the group, and his experience will really benefit our young players. I look forward to seeing him in Hibs green and white.”