Nick Montgomery has insisted he fully expects to be in charge at Hibs at the start of next season - and revealed he had laughed at rumours suggesting he hadn't settled in Scotland.

In the wake of a disappointing 2-1 home defeat by St Johnstone last weekend, that did little for Hibs' top-six chances, social media was awash with claims the former Central Coast Mariners head coach hadn't adapted to life in the Scottish capital and was angling for an exit. 

“I found it funny. I’m actually from Leeds, I spent a bit of time in Australia, and I made a decision to come to Hibs because it’s a big club, because of the challenge, because of the expectation, and because of the pressure," he said, when asked about the rumours as he previewed Saturday's trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell. 

“I don’t know where these stories come from. But obviously they’re completely not true. I’ve enjoyed my time here so far, and I am enjoying every day here - I’m really proud to be manager of this club. People like to create noise, it picks up and carries legs. That’s the power of social media, I guess."

Montgomery confirmed that he hasn't held specific talks with the board about his future, but is in 'constant communication' with the club's hierarchy. 

“During the last couple of months, we’ve been discussing recruitment because there’s a chance there will be a lot of change during the summer. Right now, I know the importance for the club of finishing in that top six and hitting those targets," he added. 

“I still expect to be here for the duration of my contract. I looked at this as a big picture. Looking at the future, I wanted to rebuild – and we’ve implemented a lot already this season. I expect to be here next season. We’ve had discussions about recruitment and there will be a lot of turnover."

Meanwhile, Montgomery said he hoped clubs and the SPFL would be able to learn from the Dundee pitch saga that saw a fifth game at Dens Park postponed earlier this week and the unusual situation of a pre-split match being fulfilled after the cut-off point. 

“It’s obviously a little bit disappointing that another game has been called off because it affects the last round and the integrity of the competition. I’ve seen the comments from Philippe Clement and Stuart Kettlewell," he explained. 

“It’s not something I can control. But everyone knew there was a really good chance of that game being off. It’s a shame there wasn’t an alternative venue arranged. You would like to think you would learn from mistakes. And that’s been a mistake this week. So hopefully, moving forward, that’s something they can be better prepared for.

“There are enough stadiums that a game shouldn’t be called off in April of 2024. The clubs and the league can learn from it. You have to make a decision. And there have to be consequences if games are getting constantly called off. The consequences now are that Dundee haven’t had a midweek game, they go into this weekend and still have another game before the split. I don’t know if that’s ever happened before."