PAUL Hanlon has admitted he would be content to spend his entire career at Hibernian after signing a four year contract extension with the Easter Road club this week.
Hanlon, who is in his testimonial season, put pen to paper on a new deal this week that keeps him at his boyhood heroes until 2022.
The 28-year-old defender, set to play against Celtic in a Ladbrokes Premiership game at home early this afternoon, will be 32 when that contract expires and will have no qualms about remaining at Hibs until he retires.
“I grew up a fan of the club and I have enjoyed every minute of playing for Hibs,” he said. “I’m proud to wear the strip every week.
“Signing a four-year contract is going to take me to 32 and a half so I don’t know if I’ll have much left after that. It’s just a case of trying to play well season after season and seeing where it takes you.
“I try not to look too far ahead. But if it came to it and I played my whole career at Hibs, it’s something I’d be really proud of.”
Hanlon, who made his Hibs debut back in 2008, admitted he had been set to depart Easter Road on a few occasions before.
“I was out of contract after we won the cup so I spoke to a few clubs then,” he said. “When we got relegated, for some reason we all got told we were free to go. I spoke to a few people then, but that wasn’t the case in the end. I wasn’t free to go. So that was fine.
“There have been occasions where I have spoken to other people when I was out of contract, but it was nothing that made me want to leave here.
“For me to leave here, it would have to be something that I thought was special and nothing that came up was enough to make me want to leave.”
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Hanlon is determined to help the capital outfit beat Celtic at home today and prevent their opponents from clinching the Ladbrokes Premiership title at their ground.
And he would like to go on and help Neil Lennon’s side secure second place in the top flight for the first time since 1975.
It is definitely up there with one of the most enjoyable seasons I have had just with the whole feel about the place and obviously with the performances as well,” he said.
“Second is what it’s all about now. We have put ourselves in a great position in the last five games. Hopefully we can finish second.
“On our day, we can outplay anyone. I think we have shown that this season. Throughout the course of the season we have been a match for everyone. We have taken points of everyone.
“It is going to be tough. These games are going to come back to back now. You don’t want to see the other team celebrating on your patch. But to be honest, Celtic winning the league is right at the back of my mind. It’s all about us. We need the points.”
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