'Not yet': Hibs hero Rocky Bushiri breaks silence on his future and puts attitude questions to bed

Step forward centre-half Rocky Bushiri, who has gone from being a much-maligned figure in the Hibs squad to one of the first names on the team sheet as he continues to perform impressively at the heart of a back three.

Looking a far more disciplined and mature defender than this time even six months ago, Bushiri is also adding goals to his game. Vital ones at that, too. His first strike for the club came in the much-publicised 3-3 draw against Aberdeen in November that is widely credited with kick-starting Hibs' season. Then there was another important, late equaliser against Rangers in early January, also forcing a 3-3 draw.

On Friday night at Somerset Park, his 88th-minute intervention was the winner, stooping bravely to head home the only goal of the game against Ayr United and power Hibs into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Bushiri epitomises Hibs' phoenix-like rise from the ashes. Currently on an 11-match unbeaten run, Hibs were rock bottom of the Premiership just four months ago. They now sit fifth and have genuine aspirations of going deep in the cup.

The 25-year-old defender may not have even been present in Ayrshire had the Hibs board made a different decision earlier in the week. Egyptian side Zamalek tabled a bid for the DR Congo internationalist but the Easter Road hierarchy were in no mood to accept. It was deemed too risky to let Bushiri leave at this stage of the season.

A bold move, some would say, given that earlier on Friday, Hibs revealed an astonishing set of accounts. The Edinburgh outfit made a loss of £7.1 million last season and any extra income would surely be welcomed. Bushiri, out of contract at the end of the season, is at the top end of earners table at Hibs - but such is his stock right now, Zamalek were turned away.

What does the longer-term future, therefore, hold for Bushiri? "Not yet," was his response when asked in a late-night interview in Ayrshire if talks have been held with Hibs over his future. "We will see. The window is shut now, so my full focus is on Hibs.

"There's been rumours, etc, but now it's up to the club how they will react to it. It's always good when you play well, you attract interest from different clubs. It's also a boost, it's not always a bad thing when you can't leave the club. But I'm now open and we will see how the club will react to it in the coming months."

Being wanted hasn't always been the case for Bushiri. His worth to Hibs since arriving from Norwich City - originally on loan - in 2022 has been questioned by supporters and managers alike. He had to wait in the wings at the start of the season under new head coach David Gray, who didn't turn to him properly until November. It is a testament to Belgian-born defender that he grasped his chance with both hands and has never looked back since.

"At the end of the day, I'm a professional footballer with a contract with Hibs," continued Bushiri. "So if I'm happy or not, I have to train well. I'm a professional. We have different backgrounds. but football is everything for me, so I need to respect that. Once I'm on the training ground, once I'm on the pitch, I will always give myself the opportunity to make sure nobody can say it's my attitude. So that's how I work."

His work has not gone unnoticed by Gray, who in the wake of the Ayr match singled out Bushiri. “I can’t praise him enough, he’s done it numerous times now since taking his opportunity coming back into the team,” Gray said. “When you think back to how his season has went, he hasn’t had the amount of minutes he would have liked – but his level of professionalism and his attitude every day in training has been a credit to himself. He’s popped up with a couple of big goals now and he fully deserves it.”

The Hibs fans are warming to Bushiri now too, singing his name almost every match. "It felt very good celebrating, especially as my goals always seem to be late in games," smiled the centre-back. "That makes it even more special. The fans were so close to you, I just wanted to jump in there! But I had to behave as I didn't want a yellow card.

"Yes, of course it's an extra boost [hearing fans sing my name]. I think that song started at Hearts away and now the song is still there. We've had positive results which helps keep everyone happy. We're feeling good now. But you know in tough times, you have to keep your head up and your chest high and keep fighting. Because you will always face difficult moments as a footballer. You just have to always believe in yourself."

With confidence swelling, what can Hibs achieve as the business end of the season comes into view? "I don't think the goals have changed, you know," Bushiri mused. "You know when you are at a club like this what needs to happen. I don't think things have changed. It's not like because you have a bad start of the season, we just give up on our goals.

"No, you just believe. Lots of people have confidence, myself included, that we can turn this around. We've done it, but now we need to stay calm. We've seen in this season, also with different teams, things go fast and change fast. We need to keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard."