The addition of Jackson Irvine at Hibs raises questions over where and how he’s best utilised.
The Australian international has signed a deal until the end of the season at Easter Road after several months without a club after leaving Hull City.
It’ll perhaps take a few weeks for Irvine to get up to full sharpness but when fit, he’ll likely be a big asset to Jack Ross.
He’s well stocked with central midfielders in his squad, but how will the dynamic change with Irvine in there?
One criticism of Hibs has been that whoever is up front, be in Kevin Nisbet, Christian Doidge or both, can be left isolated at times by those behind them.
Ross places a lot of emphasis on width from his wing backs, either Lewis Stevenson or Josh Doig on the left or Drewy Wright and Martin Boyle on the right.
Alex Gogic and Melker Hallberg tend to sit with Joe Newell being the ball player in the middle.
What’s missing is someone who has the legs and ability to support the strikers and run beyond.
The hope is that Irvine can add that.
That’s not all he’s about - the Aussie can do the other side of the game too, but it does beg the question of whether he can be used in a number ten role, or deeper alongside Newell with licence to get forward.
That combination would provide good balance in the middle, with the extra insurance of Hallberg or Gogic allowing one of the two to be more adventurous.
For the wide men, Irvine’s height provides an alternative target to Chris Doidge when it comes to deliveries, while it’s never a bad thing to make use of at set pieces, either attacking or defending.
For games where Hibs will have to soak up a bit of pressure and keep their shape, Irvine is also capable of playing as an orthodox central midfielder alongside Newell.
Is him and Newell the best combination in the middle then? Pick your Hibs team including Irvine using the team selector widget above.
