'Real leader' Bushiri extends Hibs stay until 2028

Rocky Bushiri is now contracted to Hibernian until the summer of 2028

"Real leader" and "role model" Rocky Bushiri has agreed a new three-year deal at Hibernian after coming to the end of his previous contract.

The Easter Road club said "a number of teams were interested" in the 25-year-old DR Congo international, who has been in Edinburgh since January 2022.

"Rocky played a huge part in our success last season, not only on the pitch but off it in the dressing room too," said head coach David Gray.

"As a character, he's a perfect role model; he always works as hard as he can, is consistently trying to push himself, and he's a real leader.

"As a player, it was clear to see we saw the best of him last season. He has the perfect physical attributes for Scottish football and was growing in confidence and developing week on week."

Defender Bushiri has made 105 appearances for Hibs since his arrival from Norwich City. He scored four goals in 35 games last season as Gray's side finished third in the Premiership.

"Unsurprisingly, there were a number of teams interested in Rocky this summer, so we're really pleased he saw his future with us," said sporting director Malky Mackay.

"We want to keep good people and good players at the club, and Rocky is both of those. He's a leader in the dressing room, cares about his team-mates, and cares about the club.

"He has great ambitions moving forward and a deep desire to play for DR Congo, and we want to help him achieve those."

One down, two more to get back?

Bushiri was a substitute for Hibs' first 12 league games of last term, featuring just twice from the bench.

In that time, the Leith team won once and were propping up the table with a meagre eight points.

His chance came at Dens Park in late November and things took a turn for the worse with a sorry 4-1 defeat against Dundee, but then came a remarkable turnaround, with Bushiri at the heart of it.

With Gray switching to a back three, Bushiri scored a 96th-minute equaliser in the following 3-3 draw at home to Aberdeen, which proved to be the catalyst for a charge up the standings that included a club-record equalling run of 17 league games unbeaten.

Bushiri's next goal would be another late equaliser in another 3-3 draw at Easter Road, this time against Rangers, and of the 21 Premiership matches he started, Hibs lost only four, all away from home, with two of those coming against champions Celtic.

On 29 May, Hibs announced they had opened contract discussions with Bushiri. Almost a month later, they have secured a key player in a settled defence, with impressive power and pace.

He told club media: "Home is where you feel loved and I feel loved here, by the fans, by my team-mates, by the people around me. That was a factor."

Gray and Mackay will now hope they can persuade Junior Hoilett and Nectarios Triantis to follow suit, with the former still out of contract and the Scottish Football Writers' Association young player of the year back at Sunderland after a fruitful loan at Easter Road.