Hibernian have tied down a hot prospect to a new four-year contract.
18-year-old attacking midfielder Rudi Molotnikov is now signed up to the Scottish Premiership club until summer 2029, after being rewarded for his impressive development.
The Scotland Under-19s regular has been given 15 first-team appearances this season, highlighting Hibs' long-term vision of providing opportunities to youth players, and scored twice in the group stages of the Premier Sports Cup competition against Queen's Park and Peterhead.
“I’m delighted that we’ve managed to agree a new long-term contract with Rudi," Hibs head coach David Gray said.
“During my time at the club, I have watched his development closely and I've been impressed with his desire to keep learning and working hard every day.
“He wants to push himself all the time and he needs to keep doing that. He has a bright future at Hibs, and we want to help him to reach his full potential.”
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Gray handed Molotnikov his senior debut during his fourth and final spell as interim manager, bringing on the then 17-year-old as a substitute in the second leg of Hibs' UEFA Europa Conference League play-off tie against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Speaking earlier this season the manager said: "He's someone I identified last season as a player I really liked. He was doing well last year and I always knew he could deal with the physicality of the Scottish Premiership,. He’s come a long way since going on loan and not playing much.
"He's such a young boy, enjoying his training, enjoying the opportunity to play for Hibs. If you'd asked him at the start of the season if he thought he'd play as many games as he has, he'd probably say no, but it's a credit to him for how well he's done."
Hibs' sporting director Malky Mackay added: “Rudi is an exciting young player and an excellent example of the types of players we’re producing in our academy set-up.
“We want to be a club that gives talented youngsters a chance and one that produces academy players for the first team.
"We are constantly planning for the future and our first thought is to look within ourselves and at who is coming through our academy.
“Rudi thoroughly deserves this new deal, and I look forward to seeing how he progresses."
