The Hibs contract headache facing David Gray and board as decision time looms over ELEVEN soon-to-be-frees

You could select a Hibs starting XI out of the first team players set to become free agents at the end of the season.

And, given the Easter Road club’s position at the bottom of the Premiership pile, you could forgive brassed-off punters for thinking ‘good riddance’. But in an age where player trading is key to the future, the situation facing boss David Gray, sporting director Malky Mackay and the Hibs hierarchy could well be holding the club back.

Right now, looking at the bloated squad at East Mains you wonder where the value is. In addition to 11 out of contract players there’s another four loanees who will no doubt be heading back to their clubs - Josef Bursik, Kwon, Nectar Triantis and Mykola Kuharevich. Hibs do at least have a year option written into two players on the list - Lewis Miller and Martin Boyle. But a decision has yet to be made on either player’s future.

Of course there’s two ways to look at the situation. On a positive note there’s the chance to streamline an overinflated and underperforming squad ahead of the next recruitment drive which is to be headed up by Bournemouth's head of recruitment analysis Garvan Stewart. On the negative side it’s a sign of the constant turnover of managers and players that so many of these first teamers could leave Leith for nothing in the not-too-distant future.

And some of whom were, at one stage, thought to be valuable assets. Rocky Bushiri for instance. Two years ago Lee Johnson claimed he wouldn’t sell the big defender for £10million. Okay the Englishman was never shy of spouting a fanciful line or two. But now? Bushiri’s half-time appearance in last week’s 2-1 defeat to St Mirren was his only Premiership minutes since coming on as a late sub in the 2-2 draw with