Hibs rip up midfielder's contract, clearing way for him to join Scottish Premiership rivals

Midfielder has had an injury-hampered three seasons at Hibs

Kyle Magennis has left Hibs as a free agent after the Easter Road side ripped up his contract. The 24-year-old midfielder joined Hibs in October 2020 from St Mirren, reuniting with former Buddies boss Jack Ross, and has made 49 appearances since then, scoring seven goals.

While he made 24 appearances during his maiden campaign in the Capital, Magennis endured a frustrating time during his second and third years, making just a handful of appearances in each term as he battled a series of injuries and required two rounds of surgery and injections in a bid to get to the bottom of his issues.

Manager Lee Johnson, who spoke highly of Magennis and his abilities on more than one occasion during the 2022/23 campaign, said: “Kyle was a well-respected member of the squad, and we wish him well for the future. He will always be welcome at Easter Road.”

Kyle Magennis has left Hibs and joined Kilmarnock

The former Scotland Under-21 internationalist has signed a two-year deal with Kilmarnock, and told the Rugby Park side’s website: “The gaffer has always been interested in me and he’s someone I wanted to work with, so over the past few weeks the move has fallen into place. It’s a fresh start for me. I’ve had a tough few seasons with injuries, but I’m feeling good and ready to go. I know that if I’m playing, I’ll be a big asset to the club."

He is the sixth former Hibs first-teamer to leave in the last few weeks after Mikey Devlin, who joined Livingston, Kevin Nisbet, who signed for Millwall, Kevin Dąbrowski, who joined Raith Rovers at the end of his contract, and Aiden McGeady, who left at the end of his one-year contract.

Defender Darren McGregor retired to take up a full-time role as the head coach of Hibs’ under-18 side, while Tom Carter, Ethan Laidlaw, and Josh McCulloch all left from the club’s development squad. Laidlaw and McCulloch were both involved in the title-winning under-18s side of 2021/22, with the former linked with a move to Watford which would net Hibs a significant compensation package.