A former Arsenal international scout has been appointed as director of football for Hibernian Football Club.
Brian McDermott, 62, was appointed to the position following a lenghty recruitment process, and will be working closely alongside head coach Lee Johnson.
The former player will have a strong focus across recruitment of first-team players and other football operations, such as scouting, analysis, medicine and sports science.
Brian will also link up with academy director Steve Kean to help develop the Academy to first-team squad pathway. The new recruit spent five years at Premier League side Arsenal as their international senior scout, and also supported fellow Scottish club Celtic with video scouting.
Brian has also been a football and business consultant, and mentored managers in the English Football League working with the League Managers Association.
On the appointment of Brian McDermott, Hibernian FC Chief Executive Ben Kensell commented: "We are delighted with the appointment of Brian McDermott after a long and extensive process.
"We are conscious that this appointment has taken some time, which is partly due to the sad passing of our late Chairman Ronald J Gordon, but we also wanted to make sure that we had the right steps in place and a thorough process, to make sure we’ve got the right person in the door.
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“Brian joins us with substantial experience in the game and has worked across numerous different roles across a Football Club on the sporting side, which sets him up perfectly for this role.
"We also wanted someone that has a strong recruitment bias, and he has that in abundance having scouted across the world for some high-level clubs.
"Brian’s background, contacts, and experience will be vital as we continue to move the Club forwards."
Following his appointment, Brain said: "I’m delighted to join such a great, community-orientated club like Hibernian FC.
"I scouted Hibs games many times in the past and have always been taken by the fantastic atmosphere at Easter Road.
"I am very grateful for this opportunity. Having met the Chairman, the Board of Directors, Executives, Lee Johnson, all the staff, and understanding more around the culture of the Football Club and the objectives, I’m really excited about the challenge."
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