PAUL Heckinbottom has revealed that Steven Whittaker has returned to pre-season training in the best shape of his career and predicted he can hold down a regular first team place and win over Hibernian supporters in the season ahead.

Whittaker, the former Rangers, Norwich City and Scotland defender, has struggled for both form and fitness since returning to the Easter Road club on a free transfer two years ago and has been unable to win over fans as a result.

But Heckingbottom, who was unable to select the player after taking over from Neil Lennon at the capital club last February due to an injury the 35-year-old picked up, is confident that is all about to change after being impressed by the experienced and versatile player’s condition and attitude.

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With Lewis Stevenson out with a calf injury and set to miss the Betfred Cup matches there is a spot in the Hibs team at left back up for grabs and the manager is confident that Whittaker can claim it.

“He has come back really fit, really strong, which I didn’t doubt he would because he’s a really conscientious player,” said Heckingbottom. “We have laid down the challenge – there is a place in the team for him if he comes back and earns it and nails it. He has come back really strong and really fit and looks hungry to get in the team.

“He knows and everybody knows that as you get older it doesn’t get any easier. But I doubt there’s been any pre-seasons when he’s come back in the shape he’s in at the minute. I am hoping we can get him in the side.

“He has certainly got the quality to help us out. We didn’t get to work with him enough at the end of last season because he picked up an injury in the first week we were here.”

Meanwhile, Heckingbottom, whose team take on Arbroath at Gayfield Park in their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday evening, has revealed he is hopeful of bringing Stephane Omeonga back to Hibs on loan next season.

The Genoa midfielder, who spent the second half of last season in Leith, has been in Italy with the Belgium Under-21 squad during the European Championships in the past fortnight.

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He played for his country, who finished bottom of their section and failed to progress to the knockout stages after losing all three of their group matches, in the 3-1 defeat they suffered to the host nation last week.

The 23-year-old’s involvement in that competition is sure to have been noticed by scouts of clubs across Europe, but Heckingbottom remains confident that Hibs can secure his services for another campaign.

“Listen, his club were keen to get him away in there and market him and put him out on the biggest stage possible,” he said. “We would do the same. We knew that, we weren’t expecting anything to be quick.

“Really, the process with Stef starts now. We can’t wait, we have to keep pushing and pushing other avenues just in case we can’t get that done. But he wants to come here. If it was close and Genoa were happy to listen to the player we will have as good a chance as anyone.”

Meanwhile, Heckingbottom has confirmed that he remains keen to take Marc McNulty, the Reading striker who performed well enough for Hibs last season to win a call up into the Scotland squad and play for his country in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, back to Easter Road.

But the Englishman stressed that he was keen to carry out most of his transfer business done early so he can work with his players before competitive matches get underway.

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“There comes a point when your season is starting and you want to win,” he said. “There is no guarantee. We have got Doidgey (Welsh forward Christian Doidge) in because we know what a good player. Sparky (McNulty) would love to do it.

“There comes a point when you have to take the player. I am not saying Sparky is 100 per cent not coming because we don’t know what’s going to happen. But we can’t wait around, put all our eggs in one basket and not get him.

“Then two things would go wrong – I wouldn’t be working with any player because they wouldn’t be coming in the building and we wouldn’t be getting first choices. We want to keep pushing and getting the first choice players we want.

“Hopefully Chris (Preston keeper Maxwell) is in the door soon. Then we will not be far away and can working with the players in earnest.”