Hibs loanee continues fine form but says key moment 'will keep me awake for a few days'

Hibs striker Dylan Vente continued his renaissance back home in the Netherlands, scoring his third Dutch top-flight goal since moving on loan to PEC Zwolle.

The 25-year-old was on target for his new club in Friday night’s 2-1 Eredivisie defeat by AZ Alkmaar, latching on to a through ball and finishing clinically inside the penalty box. Vente now has three goals in five matches since joining Zwolle last month and is starting to rebuild his confidence and form in his homeland.

Vente, however, did miss a good chance to equalise in the latter stages against AZ. "It's a shame - this will keep me awake for two days," Vente said of his miss. “It wasn't a bad shot, but it had to be better. I wanted to shoot it straight into the right corner, but unfortunately I didn't hit it good enough."

Vente still has two years left on his contract at Easter Road but sapped of confidence since scoring a hat-trick in a Premier Sports Cup tie back in July against Elgin City, it was felt that a move back to Holland would benefit all parties after he dropped out of the first-team picture under David Gray. Hibs paid a substantial fee - close to £1 million - back in the summer of 2023 when buying him for Roda JC, but the 25-year-old has only netted 11 goals in 43 appearances in green and white.

Dylan Vente, right, is impressing on loan at Zwolle. | SNS Group

Vente has also become an internationalist since joining Zwolle, winning his first caps for Suriname earlier this month.

It remains to be seen if the ex-Feyenoord youngster has a long-term future at Hibs. Speaking when his move to Zwolle was sanctioned, Easter Road head coach Gray said: “Dylan is a player that I’ve really enjoyed working with every day because of his professionalism and desire to get better. 

“He has undoubted quality, but at this moment in time, it just hasn’t quite worked out for Dylan. His move provides an opportunity to go home and hopefully start playing regularly with a smile on his face again. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season.”