Hibs sign former Hearts defender Faycal Rherras on loan

Hibernian have completed the loan signing of former Hearts full-back Faycal Rherras.

The 24-year-old joins from Belgian side KV Mechelen until the end of the season and is clear to play in Sunday’s Edinburgh derby.

Rherras is familiar with Scottish football having signed a three-year deal with Hearts in 2017. He played only 23 games before falling out of favour once the club swapped managers and was freed from his contract.

The Belgian born defender is right-footed but prefers playing at left-back. He is remembered most for a spate of goal line clearances.

He said: “I am very happy to be joining Hibs, it is a move that I hope will work well for myself and for the club.

“I have played in Scotland before with Hearts, so know what the game is like here and enjoyed it a lot, especially as I know the city of Edinburgh well from my previous time here.

“The atmosphere at Easter Road in last year’s derby was something special - it left a big impression on me and hopefully I can experience similar in my time here.

“My goal is to try and play as much as possible. The squad here is good, but I would like to try my best to help the team during my time here and I can do that best by playing on the pitch.”

Rherras, who counts CS Visé and Sint-Truidense VV as former clubs, has represented the country of his parents, Morocco, twice and was in their 2017 African Cup of Nations squad.

Neil Lennon said: “Faycal is a very good player to be bringing into the squad, and brings with him a wealth of experience.

“He is only 24 and has a lot of good quality experience in the top-flight in Belgium and Scotland, as well as at international level.

“His previous experience in Scotland will no doubt be a positive as he knows what to expect from the league.

“We were looking to get some cover in at full-back, and Faycal comes in to provide strong competition which can only be good for the squad.”