Lee Johnson reveals sneaky Hibs spy mission and why he's chosen Easter Road over foreign adventure

New Hibs manager Lee Johnson says a rigorous recruitment process convinced him on a return to Scotland.

The former Hearts and Kilmarnock player has been appointed in the dugout at Easter Road on a deal until 2026.

He succeeds Shaun Maloney, who was dismissed just four months after executive chairman Ron Gordon pulled the trigger on Jack Ross, who had guided them to a third-placed finish last year.

Johnson will have the task of getting Hibs back to such heights in the Premiership after a calamitous campaign this time around ended with a bottom six finish.

Gordon was meticulous in his interview process for this role - which former Malmo manager Jon Dahl Tomasson was part of - and has landed upon the former Sunderland boss.

The 40-year-old was sacked by the League One club in January and insists that ambition in Leith sold him on the project after one meeting.

Speaking to Hibs TV, he said: "I am super pleased and really excited. Seeing the stadium and getting a feel around the city, it's a massive, iconic, historic club.

"I am really proud on a personal level and on a professional level, focused on being successful.

"The first conversations were in London, originally a chat that was meant to last an hour and went for three-and-a-half! We maintained contact but that got my juices flowing.

"I ended up having a six-and-a-half hour board meeting as a final interview. By the end of it I could hardly speak and I was sick of my own voice!"

Johnson has already watched his new team in action - not that anybody noticed under the cover of his disguise.

It was perhaps food for thought for Hibs' new boss as he took in their post-split fixtures against Dundee and Livingston, which both ended in defeat.

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