Marciano vows to keep working to regain spot
Hibs goalkeeper Ofir Marciano insists he will keep “training hard and working hard” in the wake of losing his starting berth to Chris Maxwell at the Easter Road club.
Marciano was asked by the Israeli media about his club situation in the wake of helping Andreas Herzog’s side to a 3-1 Euro 2020 qualifying win over Latvia in Be’er Sheva.
The 30-year-old suggested it was business as usual, despite the on-loan Preston goalkeeper taking the gloves for the Edinburgh derby defeat by Hearts, the Betfred Cup quarter-final win over Kilmarnock and 1-1 draws at home to Celtic and away to Aberdeen.
Marciano said: “I am still under contract at Hibs, so I’d rather not get into it too much. I believe in myself – if the team chooses to get rid of me, then fine.
“I’m a professional, and I’ll be a professional until the end.
“I love Hibs and the fans, and I will do everything as long as I am there – whether I am playing or not. I have a contract for another year after this season, it’s impossible to know if I’ll leave. I live in the moment – I’m training hard and working hard.
“I haven’t played in the last few games but it was for professional reasons. Before that I was playing regularly and playing well.”
Marciano, who joined Hibs initially on loan in 2016 before signing a permanent deal the following season after a brief spell in Belgium with Royal Excel Mouscron, is closing in on 100 appearances in all competitions for the Easter Road side.
Speaking in June ahead of Israel’s qualifying doubleheader against Latvia and Poland, he had hinted that he would be open to moving “to a bigger club”, adding: “In our short career we have to move forward as quickly as possible. I had a good [2018/19] season and I feel like I deserve to move forward. I hope to make that upgrade and jump forward.”
The former Ashdod No.1 has earned praise for his performances for Israel in their last few qualifiers, helping them to a 3-1 win over Latvia in Be’er Sheva and a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia while he performed well despite defeats to Slovenia and Austria.