Leigh Griffiths’ Hibs future still unclear

The on-loan striker has been an invaluable performer for the Edinburgh club this season and was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Scottish PFA young player of the year last weekend. Hibs are eager to retain his services, but parent club Wolves have a one-year option on his contract and despite the sacking of manager Dean Saunders last week could yet decide to invoke that.

Griffiths reportedly headed south for talks with Wolves during the week, but Fenlon was unaware of any concrete developments. He said: “We’ve done as much as we can and everybody knows where we stand on it. But he’s a Wolverhampton player and they will decide what happens. They don’t have a manager at the moment so that’s a difficult scenario for them.

“We have him on loan and we would be delighted to have him for another season if possible but we will just wait and see where that one goes.”

Regardless of what the future holds for Griffiths, Fenlon knows the Hibs-supporting striker would relish another goal against Hearts tommorrow if he is selected to play.

Griffiths netted one of his 27 goals this season against the Tynecastle side earlier in the season and Fenlon said: “He is a Hibs fan so it’s probably a little bit extra special for Hibs supporters to be scoring in the derby.”

Since Hibs’ 5-1 capitulation in last season’s Scottish Cup final, they have gone unbeaten against Hearts this season, including knocking them out of the cup – and with another Scottish Cup final looming Fenlon is looking for his squad to earn their places at Hampden in their three remaining bottom-six SPL games.

Fenlon said: “You don’t know what happens between now and then with injuries and everything else. It’s important that when players get an opportunity to play that they take it and they make it as difficult as possible for me not to play them in the cup final.”