Maclaren: Late call’s Oz-some
HIBS loan star Jamie Maclaren says scoring against the Old Firm has filled him with belief for this summer’s World Cup with Australia.
The 24-year-old has finally earned a place in the Socceroos squad after it appeared his dreams had been dashed when he wasn’t selected for Bert van Marwijk’s training camp.
But the Darmstadt striker revealed he took his boots with him on holiday to Dubai because he never lost hope he could make it to Russia.
And after a late call up led to his inclusion in the final squad, Maclaren reckons his loan stint at Hibees played a key role in his Socceroos success.
He said: “World Cups don’t come around too often. To say I’ve been a part of a World Cup squad is a proud achievement for my family and myself.
“I’ve scored in some big games this year.
“It gives me confidence and I think Bert has seen the quality I can bring.”
It is a worrying time, every transfer window is the same
NEIL LENNON
get deals done and waits to discover if any of his top stars will quit during this quiet period of the summer, it’s an anxious time.
Hibs stormed back into the Premiership with a fourth-placed finish to book a spot in Europe.
Lennon though knows he has set the bar high and the next savage challenge is to emulate or better the achievement.
The Hibs boss has his ideas but it will take more time for the picture to become clearer in terms of who he has at his disposal.
And he’s honest enough to admit it can be a troubling period of uncertainty.
Lennon said: “We had a great season but that is gone now. We just look to improve on that. I don’t know what my squad is going to be so it is hard to make any predictions. In the next few weeks I will be looking to add to the squad.
“It is a worrying time, every transfer window is the same, but we came out of the January window and it turned out to be really good for us. That doesn’t happen all the time but there is method to the madness.
“We have been working really hard with the scouting team and hopefully we will be able to bring someone in over the next week or so.
“Will it be hard to top last season? Yes, just the amount of games we won and the style of play but you want to keep that momentum going if you can.
“It is an exciting period because we are looking at the Europa League straight away.
“We are back on June 18 and between that period and July 12 BY CRAIG SWAN there will be a hell of a lot of work done on the squad.
“The players we already have and also trying to improve on that. It is a tall order but not beyond us.”
Lennon has a number of issues on his plate at the moment.
Attempts to make loanees Florian Kamberi and Jamie Maclaren permanent Hibs players are ongoing and the club are trying to seal a deal for Barnsley’s Stevie Mallan.
But it’s the futures of midfield duo John McGinn and Dylan McGeouch which are dominating the minds of many Hibs supporters. The Scotland pair could stay or go, despite their situations being different.
McGinn is entering the final year of his contract and, with bids in excess of £3million set to land, big decisions will have to be made if he doesn’t sign a new deal. McGeouch is already a free agent but Lennon hasn’t given up hope of convincing him to stay.
He accepts the position is precarious with regards to both players.
Lennon said: “We hope (McGinn and McGeouch) are still there next season. Obviously it is an outside hope, particularly Dylan’s situation.
“There has been a lot of speculation about John too but that is just the circumstances really, with a year left on his contract and the kind of player he is. We are prepared for eventualities if they come but if the pair of them are here on June 18 I will be delighted.
“Even Dylan’s situation, there still might be something there. There has been no forward progress anywhere else, although that might change when he comes back from South America, but we are hoping that won’t be the case.”
At least Lennon knows if he does have to find replacements he’s got the backing from his boardroom.
Chief executive Leeann Dempster has revealed he will be working with the biggest summer budget in the club’s history but Lennon is cautious about thinking it will all go into the signing of top-team stars.
He said: “We know we want to try to be competitive. We are making inroads on a few things and we will take it from there.
“The point she was making I think was investment in sports science and the academy as well, which has kind of borne fruit for us in recent years.”