The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan from Norwich City at Easter Road, with the arrangement being made permanent in the summer, but the move prompted a negative reaction from some elements of the club’s support.
Bushiri is understood to have been left upset by the response and sought advice from the club’s hierarchy. The centre-back received a warm welcome from supporters who travelled to Portugal for the club’s pre-season games and has impressed manager Lee Johnson.
Asked how the defender had responded to some of the reaction around his permanent contract with Hibs, the Easter Road boss said: “He is a good lad who still needs that bit of love.
But we do that with all our players; they are all our kids, in terms of equals. “When I looked at Rocky I was thinking to myself, ‘in terms of your football development, you’re probably three or four years younger than your actual age but you’re physically so big and strong that people expect you to be the finished article’. “If Rocky had come through our youth academy, then the difference in how people perceived him would be massive but in football, unfortunately, perception is reality.