Lee Johnson: Porteous not saying his farewells "to my knowledge"; Hibs can compete v Hearts

Lee Johnson has stressed that as far as he is aware Ryan Porteous was not saying his farewells to the Easter Road crowd after Hibs' 4-0 defeat to Celtic.

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson during the 4-0 defeat to Celtic (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The Hibs manager did add the caveat that Porteous might know more than he does as the defender approaches the point where he can start officially talking to other clubs.

Porteous, who has been playing at centre midfield in recent weeks, appeared to spend extra time applauding the home fans after the comprehensive home loss against the champions. Porteous is suspended for the Edinburgh derby against Hearts on Monday. It has already been confirmed that he won’t be signing a new contract at Easter Road. The 23-year-old can speak to interested clubs from Sunday and if Hibs wish to receive a fee for the defender, he will need to leave in January.

"If Ryan was saying his goodbyes, it’s the first I’d know of it,” said Johnson. “Obviously he’s suspended for the derby but as far as I’m concerned we have no official offer. Bits and bobs of conversations and interest but maybe he knows more than I do at this particular time.”

Porteous certainly seemed to hang around longer than is normal after such a comprehensive 4-0 defeat. Hibs failed to build on a promising start but were powerless in the face of a relentless performance from the visitors.

Johnson stressed that only Manchester City have impressed him more than Celtic. His side have now lost ten goals against Ange Postecoglou’s team in two meetings this season.

“We didn’t go into this game lacking confidence,” said Johnson. “I think that showed in the first 15, 20 minutes. Celtic are a top team, make no bones about it. I’vemanaged against English Premier League teams and Celtic are maybe one of the best sides, bar Manchester City, that I’ve come across. They’re maybe not all household names but they are a unit, a team, they’re dynamic, they’ve got penetrative runs, and as a squad and players you have to learn from that and I think we are learning, we are improving.”

Johnson insists Hibs’ latest defeat – their eighth in ten league outings – will have no bearing on Monday’s trip to face rivals Hearts. He maintained that Celtic can be as ruthless against anyone as they were against his team.

"Of course I believe we can compete with Hearts,” he said. “Top teams like Celtic expose every flaw but they expose every flaw in the other teams as well. Don’t look me in the eye and tell me we can’t compete with Hearts. We’re going there to try to win the game.”