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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
Sport
Ross Pilcher

David Gray praises Paul Hanlon's Hibs commitment after skipper makes 500th appearance despite need for operation

David Gray was full of praise for the club captain Paul Hanlon, who made his 500th appearance for Hibs on Saturday despite needing a knee operation.

The Hibees drew 1-1 with Aberdeen after Paul McGinn canceled out David Bates' opener.

The Easter Road side having nothing meaningful to play for and Hanlon could have easily opted to go under the knife and miss out the rest of the season ahead of returning in the summer.

The fact that he still wants to play shows the player's character, according to Gray.

He said: "You look at Paul Hanlon playing at the moment, it shows you the strength of character of him and what he's willing to do, putting his body on the line when he's struggling and needs an operation.

"As far as I'm aware it's a tidy up and it's not too bad.

"At any level it's great to play 500 games but to do it at one club, he knows exactly what it takes to be successful at Hibs, through tough times and the good times and he's an example for everyone at the club - young players, old players."

Hanlon himself said: "It's great to make the milestone. I knew it was approaching but I've had a few niggling knocks and missed a few games this season and thought I might not make it.

"To reach this milestone at Hibs is something I'm really proud of.

"It was a dream for me to place once for this club - to do it 500 times is great. Hopefully I've got a few more in me."

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