Speaking to the Longbangers podcast, Hibernian sporting director Graeme Mathie has confirmed that Greg Docherty turned down interest from the Edinburgh club to join Hull City from Rangers.
Docherty left the Gers last week to team up with Grant McCann at EFL League One side Hull after accepting that he wasn’t part of Steven Gerrard’s plans at Ibrox.
It’s now clear that the Tigers weren’t the only club interested in his signature, though.
Docherty spent a few months on loan at Hibernian last season before the global health crisis brought Scottish football to a halt and they were keen to bring him in on a permanent deal.
“Greg felt that Hull, and England, was the best place for his career,” Mathie told the Longbangers podcast. “He was very clear from the beginning, there was no ambiguity.”
“While we tried to speak to him a few times to see what his thoughts were he was pretty determined that that’s where he wanted to go.”
Docherty turns down Hibernian to join Hull City from Rangers – Verdict
It’s little surprise that Hibs were looking to bring Docherty back to Easter Road considering how much he impressed during his short loan stint there.
The 23-year-old scored three times and registered five assists in just eight appearances for the Edinburgh club, earning himself multiple Man of the Match awards.
However, as an ambitious player and a lifelong bluenose, it makes sense that the midfielder preferred a move to Hull over joining another Premiership club.
The Tigers aren’t the force they were ten years ago, but they’re a big club for the third tier and will be aiming to return to the Championship at the first time of asking this season.
If Docherty can lead a promotion charge and then eventually prove himself capable of performing in the second tier, he’ll believe the sky is the limit.
