Lee Johnson is happy that Hibernian is starting to look more like ‘his team’ ahead of the new season.
The former Hearts and Kilmarnock midfielder took over last summer and has made massive changes to the squad he inherited from Shaun Maloney.
Fourteen players arrived last term and a further seven on loan, whilst 16 departed on permanent moves.
This summer so far, six have been signed and 15, including loans, have been cut from the squad.
The dramatic turnaround has allowed Johnson to put his own stamp on the Easter Road outfit.
And he is satisfied that his vision for the team can come to fruition in the coming weeks and months as they prepare for the first leg of their second round qualifier in the Europa Conference League next week.
He said: “I’m really happy this year. I think everybody’s had a year, if you like, to work with me and understand what type of player I pick in the team.
“Obviously, the quality we’ve signed is good, in terms of having real potential to blend the team, particularly in the way we want to play.
“So, it’s starting to build. There’s still work to be done, and we know that, both ins and outs.
“But every decision we make is with the intention of improving the team, the squad and also enabling young players to progress.
“I think we’re starting to mould the squad now in how I want it and how I see it.
“I’m really looking forward to that. I feel like it’s becoming my team, per se, in terms of the movement, ins and outs.
“I thought we had a really good window in January and that coincided with a fantastic second half of the season.
“Do we want to be pushing higher in the division and earlier in the division, so we can maintain that strength? Absolutely.
“Is that possible? Yes. We’ve set up a lovely season, in my eyes, getting that European place.”
