Fraser Murray determined to emulate Ryan Porteous and Oli Shaw at Hibs

The 19-year-old Hibs midfielder is highly rated, a fact reflected in him clinching a new five-year deal along with Porteous. Murray has already featured for Lennon’s team, scoring three goals in seven appearances, but, hampered by injury for much of last season, he hasn’t played top-flight football in almost 15 months.

He said: “I’ve been here for a while and seen Ryan and Oli play for the first team, that shows there’s a chance for young players here and hopefully I will be next. The gaffer says that if you work hard he will give you a chance if he feels he can trust you.

“He has trusted Ryan and Oli to start games so if I keep working hard hopefully that chance will be there for me.”

Lennon told shareholders at Hibs’ AGM he has “high hopes” for Murray but revealed there were others catching his eye, saying striker Jamie Gullan had made huge strides recently, as has defender Josh Campbell.

He said: “We want to cultivate our own, that’s really important and something I take pride in but I’m sure the supporters and club do as well. It’s difficult to put three in at the one time, it doesn’t happen. You want to drip feed them in and see if they can survive in that environment.

“Ryan has done it, Oli is on the fringes and while Fraser has had a few injuries I think he will come through again and add to the squad we have.”