Hibernian appoint Lee Johnson as new manager, with former Sunderland boss replacing Shaun Maloney

Lee Johnson has been out of work since being sacked by Sunderland in January; 40-year-old has also managed Bristol City, Barnsley and Oldham; Johnson - who had spells at Hearts and Kilmarnock as a player - has been named as Shaun Maloney's successor at Hibernian

Thursday 19 May 2022 13:16, UK

Hibernian have appointed former Sunderland and Bristol City boss Lee Johnson as their new manager on a four-year-deal.

Johnson, who spent six months as a player at Hibs' Edinburgh rivals Hearts in 2006, is replacing Shaun Maloney, who was sacked after just four months in charge in April.

Johnson also played in Scotland with Kilmarnock, where he won the League Cup in 2012 and ended his career in 2013.

The 40-year-old's most recent job was a 13-month spell in charge of Sunderland, where he won the EFL Trophy in 2021. He was sacked in January after a 6-0 defeat by Bolton.

Maloney was dismissed from Easter Road after Hibernian failed to secure a top-six finish in the league and exited the Scottish Cup semi-finals to Hearts.

Johnson will be joined by his own coaching staff, with interim manager David Gray continuing as first team coach.

Hibs Chairman, Ronald J Gordon said: "We know that this appointment is vital for the football club, so we really took our time to make sure we got the right person as our new manager.

"Throughout this process, we have been very clear on the type of profile, the style of football, and the experience we want our new manager to have, and that aligned approach enabled us to be incredibly thorough and vigorous during our search.

"There were a number of high-quality managers interested in the role, and we analysed them all thoroughly. The candidates were interviewed in depth by a panel of directors before we unanimously came to the decision that Lee was the outstanding candidate and the perfect fit for us.

"Not only does Lee have great experience in management, but he also has knowledge of the Scottish and English game, will bring a definitive style of positive play to Hibs and has a proven record of success.

"We wanted a manager that would lead on recruitment and have a strong pool of knowledge in that area. He shares similar levels of ambitions for the Football Club and will instil a winning culture at Hibernian FC.

"We will support him in the transfer window, so he can put his own stamp on the squad as we look forward to, what will hopefully be a really successful 2022/23 campaign.

"We are all looking forward to working with him, and his staff, to bring sustained success to our fantastic football club."

Hibernian - who have agreed to sign Scotland international goalkeeper David Marshall from QPR - ended the season in eighth in the Scottish Premiership.