Former Hibs striker Tam McManus insists his old club would finish comfortably among the top six if they were back in the Premiership.
Alan Stubbs’ side took their fourth top-flight scalp on Tuesday with a 1-0 Scottish Cup victory over city rivals Hearts.
Hibs have already beaten Aberdeen, Dundee United and St Johnstone en route to the League Cup final and McManus, who was at Easter Road to see the memorable win over their Gorgie counterparts, reckons the Leith outfit are too good for the Championship.
McManus, who played for Hibs between 1997 and 2005, said: “I’ve seen Hibs a few times over the last month and if they were in the Premiership, they’d be finishing comfortably in the top six.
“If you look at Hibs, they’ve already beaten some Premiership teams and they deserved to beat Hearts on Tuesday.
“They were dominant in the first half and should have gone 2-0 up through Jason Cummings when he had the one-on-one chance.
“They defended the crosses brilliantly; Hibs defended great and Darren McGregor was colossal, as was Marvin Bartley.”
Hibs remain confident of returning to the Premiership this season despite currently trailing leaders Rangers by eight points.
Head coach Stubbs has brought the feel good factor back to the club following Terry Butcher’s disastrous reign that led to the team being relegated in 2014 and McManus has nothing but admiration for the former Celtic defender.
McManus, speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, added: “It’s a phenomenal job Alan Stubbs is doing. He seems to fill the players with confidence.
“He’s brought in a lot of younger players and they seem to work hard for the team.
“They brought in Anthony Stokes and his work-rate was outstanding on Tuesday, that’s been something that’s been levelled against him – he doesn’t work hard enough.
“The players just seem to be enjoying themselves, there’s not that same reputation as before that Hibs teams bottle it.
“In the second half, Hibs were very comfortable – Hearts didn’t create a lot of chances.”
