Northern Ireland U21 defender Kyle McClelland joins Hibs on a three year contract

Northern Ireland U21 defender Kyle McClelland has resolved his future after joining Scottish Premiership club Hibernian on a three-year contract.

McClelland, who is leaving Rangers, had recently been linked with a number of English clubs, including West Ham United and Sheffield United.

But the 20-year-old has opted to join Hibs where he will initially join up with the Edinburgh outfit’s Development squad with the ultimate aim of breaking into Lee Johnson's first team plans.

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On Twitter, McClelland said he was relishing the next chapter of his young career and thanked his agent Elliott Fillingham for helping secure the move.

He wrote: “Delighted to be here for the next three years. Big thank you to @CAABase and @elliottf77 for sorting this deal. Time to work.”

McClelland is a highly-rated graduate of Rangers’ youth system and featured heavily for the Ibrox club’s Under-18s and B Team, playing in the UEFA Youth League.

He also had a taste of senior football after a loan spell at Falkirk where he made eight appearances and has also represented Northern Ireland at U21, U19 and U17 level.

Hibs Academy Director Steve Kean described McClelland as a “cultured centre-back who is excellent at breaking lines and making passes”.

He said: “We’re delighted we’ve managed to bring a player of Kyle’s quality to the club and into the Development Team.

“He’s a real modern-day centre-half that is very comfortable stepping out with the ball and building attacks from the back.

“Defensively he’s a very good one-on-one defender, which shows he has real belief in his own ability.

“Our Development Squad games programme will really push him on as he