Tam McManus reckons Hibs should stick with Ryan Porteous even if he could sign a pre-contract with a new club in January.
The Hibees are resigned to losing their star centre back after he rejected the club's latest and best offer and it's understood they would rather cash in on the Scotland defender with Stoke City reputedly very interested in making a move in the window as new boss Alex Neil looks to bolster his squad.
McManus feels the Easter Road men should be looking for at least £500,000 - but if Porteous opts to run down his contract and leave for free in the summer then Lee Johnson should stick with him in the second half of the season.
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He told the Daily Record: "His eyes have been set elsewhere for a while and the news he won’t be signing a new deal is no great surprise. His Scotland debut against Ukraine would have brought a lot of attention and he picked the perfect game to put in the performance of his life. He will be a miss as he’s the best defender at the club but Hibs have to move on.
"As long as his head is right then Johnson is correct to keep playing him. I remember Gary Caldwell being in a similar situation after signing a pre-contract with Celtic. Hibs fans weren’t too happy with him and he got a bit of stick.
"But Tony Mowbray kept playing him because he trusted him and knew he was a top class defender. So the same goes with Ryan. If he’s showing all the right signs in training then he should play - they’re still paying him after all.
"There’s no doubt they should be looking to cash in on him in January though rather than lose him for nothing. If a bid is made in January then it becomes a balancing act between how important he is to the club’s ambitions for the remainder of the season and how tempting the offer is. For me I reckon anything from £500,000 upwards would have to be accepted."
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