JACK ROSS reckons the international recognition being received by his Hibernian stars will be a major selling point when the Easter Road outfit embark on their next recruitment drive.
The capital club boasted three players in the most recent Scotland squad – more than any other team – after Ryan Porteous, Paul McGinn and Paul Hanlon got the call from Steve Clarke.
Hanlon made his debut for the national side at the age of 30 earlier this month, entering the fray as a late substitute against the Czech Republic to help see out the 1-0 Nations League win.
However, that was the tip of the iceberg for the globetrotting Hibees, with Ofir Marciano retaining his place as Israel’s number one and Alex Gogic making his first two appearances for Cyprus.
With Josh Doig also included in Scotland’s latest under-19 group, Ross believes Hibs are providing a visible pathway to international football – and that will be part of his sales pitch going forward.
Ross said: “We need to make sure we continue to have these guys involved at that level and, when the time comes for us to recruit again, that’s an extra part of our armoury.
“We can give that incentive to players who have that ambition to play international football, and not just for Scottish players.
“We have done that to an extent already. We have said to players that it would be the case – but you need evidence to back it up. This season we have had that.
“Ofir [Marciano] has been away with Israel, Alex [Gogic] has earned his first caps, the three guys being away with Scotland and Josh [Doig] with the under-19s.
“The evidence is there now, it’s not just a throwaway line to players.”
Meanwhile, Ross insists Gogic is buoyant after finally featuring for Cyprus.
The former Hamilton star followed in the footsteps of his father, Sinisa, by representing his country against the Czech Republic and Luxembourg.
It was a ’special’ moment for Gogic, particularly having seen his maiden call-up in August shelved due to a false positive from a Covid test.
Ross added: “We naturally look towards Scotland and we pay much more attention to our games – but for Alex it is exactly the same, it was special for him to get his first caps.
“He has come back excited about where he is at at the moment. That has come from that lift he has had from having that recognition.
“Now he wants to make sure he stays in those squads and earns more caps.”
