Jack Ross is determined Hibernian can beat the deadline to bring in midfield reinforcements as the Easter Road boss revealed he was "confident" of adding to his squad before the end of the transfer window.
Owner Ron Gordon confirmed last week that Ross would have scope for further recruitment despite club finances being dealt a blow with the return of fans to stadia now on hold indefinitely following the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.
The Hibs boss has been open in his desire to bring in a box to box midfield player to compliment Alex Gogic and Joe Newell in the centre of the pitch.
However the men in green and white have been frustrated in their attempts to beef up their ranks with Greg Docherty, Scott Fraser and Ross McCrorie all slipping through their fingers during the summer.
Gogic, Stephen McGinn, Kevin Nisbet and Drey Wright have all arrived on permanent deals while goalkeeper Dillon Barnes and winger Jamie Murphy came in on loan from QPR and Rangers respectively.
But Ross is sure he will be able to add to those six new recruits before the elongated transfer window closes on October 5.
He said: “We have Alex, who fulfils a very specific role, and a lot of our other players are very good footballers, but I would like a different type in that area of the pitch.
“I would like somebody who has a bit of everything, if you like. We have tried and we’ve mot managed do it yet but I am still confident we will be able to before October 5 comes along."
Meanwhile, Ross revealed that any further signings were unlikely to come at the top end of the pitch, with Christian Doidge and Nisbet quietly establishing a burgeoning partnership up front.
The Easter Road boss handed a senior debut to teenage forward Ryan Shanley in the win over St Mirren earlier this month, while Jamie Gullan has also made fleeting appearances from the bench after impressing last season.
Josh Doig has been the most notable young graduate to the first team this campaign, starting all of Hibs' games so far and Ross admitted that any incomings would have to be weighed against prospects from the East Mains academy.
"I'd like Jamie [Gullan] and Ryan [Shanley] to have more gametime than they've had at present and they'll get that hopefully in the Betfred Cup.
"The two of them have been excellent. I'm conscious that when we do recruit, we don't block that pathway for young players."
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