Emiliano Marcondes gets Hibs seal of approval as Bournemouth boss reveals reasons behind loan switch

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola reckons that Emiliano Marcondes has made a good choice in joining Hibs on loan and hopes that he can get back to playing regularly again after an injury-ravaged 12 months.

The attacking midfielder, who helped the Cherries win promotion to the Premier League in 2022, completed a loan switch to Easter Road in the closing weeks of last month's January transfer window. The 28-year-old quickly made his debut for Nick Montgomery's team in a 3-0 home defeat to Rangers and has since gone onto impress in his four appearances for the club so far.

Marcondes and fellow new boys Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Owen Bevan are the first players to make the move to Leith as part of Hibs' new partnership with English top-flight side Bournemouth, following Cherries chairman Bill Foley's pledge to invest £6million into the club in a move that has been approved by the SFA. Recurring injuries have restricted the former Denmark U21 international to just 18 times in the last two seasons, having also spent the second half of the 2022/23 campaign back in his homeland at FC Nordsjælland.

But ex-Athletic Bilbao and Spain star Iraola is confident that the player will pick up valuable minutes at Easter Road and put his injury woes behind him. When asked about Marcondes move north of the border, he told the Daily Echo: “I think it was a good option for him. He needed some minutes after the injury and I hope he finds them with Hibs.”

Earlier in the season, the Bournemouth boss had spoken of his happiness at Marcondes' return to training despite his lack of time on the pitch. He said: “I was really happy, because I’ve seen the process.

“He has been out and he is someone who wants to contribute. He was part of the meetings.