If scarcity was Hibs’ issue at the back heading into this summer, midfield presented an altogether different problem.

Nothing lays bare the squad imbalance inherited by David Gray quite like the contrast in these two areas of the pitch. The new head coach barely had a centre-back pairing at his disposal when he accepted the job, compared to nine central midfielders - all looking for time on the pitch.

Joe Newell, Nathan Moriah-Welsh, Dylan Levitt, Josh Campbell, Luke Amos, Jake Doyle-Hayes, Allan Delferrière – all players who made at least one first-team appearance last season. After a loan at Shrewsbury Town, Nohan Kenneh also reported back for pre-season, and was among the travelling party that spent last week in the Netherlands. In an exclusive interview with the Hibs Observer last month, sporting director Malky Mackay described the engine room as ‘quite bloated’, and the sheer number of bodies presents both an issue and an opportunity.

It will be nigh-on impossible to satisfy each one’s expectations of game time, and it seems unlikely they will be playing their football at Easter Road this coming season. A mix of profiles and abilities, though, does give Gray options in moulding a cohesive midfield unit. Although he changed shape from 4231 to 532 against PAOK at the weekend, it seems Gray’s Hibs will always set out with three central players, most likely two playing deeper and one more advanced.

Across pre-season, the head coach has mixed and matched his options. Gray paired Newell with Moriah-Welsh and Amos at various points, but not the latter two together as the double six. Josh Campbell, as things stand, appears to be the frontrunner to start in the number 10 role for Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup opener against Elgin City. Both Dylan Levitt and Amos have taken up the position, too, but would they start over Campbell, even against League Two opposition?

Amos is a particularly interesting case, given injuries have prevented him from really showing what he can do since moving north in January. Speaking exclusively to the Hibs Observer this week, the former Tottenham Hotspur youth was reluctant to pigeonhole himself, but best summed up his game as that of an ‘all-action 8’ keen to contribute at both ends of the pitch. I’ll resist the cliched temptation to suggest he could be ‘like a new signing’, but it’s hardly an exaggeration to say that, given how stop-start the last few months were for him, his Hibs career starts now. Pre-injuries, the 27-year-old was plying his trade at a very good level, and were he not in need of a career reset, might have been out of Hibs’ reach.

Early indications, based on what we’ve seen so far, is that one of Amos or Moriah-Welsh will be in line to partner Newell this weekend. Newell is a strong contender to be named the next Hibs captain, and he has been named as a starter in two of the three warm-up matches so far. The side Gray selected against PAOK likely won’t be too far off what we see at Borough Briggs this weekend – personnel-wise, at least, as it would be surprising to see a back five deployed against lower-league opposition.

It seems whoever is selected will play just behind Campbell, of whom Gray is clearly a fan. The 24-year-old started in the 10 role in the win over PAOK, and that the head coach has challenged him to step up and become a leader this season suggests that he is very much in his plans. After the opening summer friendly against Edinburgh City, Campbell discussed how Gray has always been willing to put his neck on the line for him, urging previous managers to consider him for more time on the pitch. He selected the boyhood Hibs fan over Emiliano Marcondes for the final two matches of last season, and Campbell has previously stated that role behind the striker is his preferred one.

Barring an unexpected turn of events, he is set to be given a real chance to truly arrive as a key player for Hibs. There’s an argument that Campbell has, at times, been a victim of his own versatility and willingness to graft regardless of where he plays, and that has led to him turning up in wide midfield positions, or even at full-back on the odd occasion. With a head coach who looks ready to put full faith in him, he is at a pivotal moment in his Hibs career.

The same could apply to Levitt this coming season. An undoubted talent who, like so many others, failed to shine in 2023/24, the months ahead are so important for the Welshman. There is no doubt he faces considerable competition for game time, and a year on from his arrival it remains up for debate which role he is most suited to – will he be vying with the likes of Newell, Moriah-Welsh and Amos at the base of midfield, or Campbell as a number 10? Gray has deployed him in both positions thus far, but it will surely only benefit his long-term prospects at Easter Road if he can nail down just one.

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And then there’s Doyle-Hayes, who has spent the last year running into setback after setback, the latest being an illness that kept him out of the Netherlands. To force his way back to regular first-team football after such protracted struggles would be a highly laudable achievement for the Irishman, but surely his next crucial step is simply showing that he can be available for an extended period.

While there may still be a way back for Doyle-Hayes, it stands to reason that both Kenneh and Delferrière are at the bottom of the current pecking order. Both turned out for the development squad against East of Scotland League side Dunbar United this week, with the latter on the scoresheet. Kenneh played 45 minutes against MSV Duisburg last midweek, then wasn’t involved at all as Hibs took on PAOK, albeit he was given time off for personal reasons. Simply put though, it’s unlikely Hibs will be satisfied keeping all these players around the first-team setup when some currently have very little prospect of playing with any regularity. Kenneh has been used at centre-back in pre-season as well but isn't likely to get ahead of Rocky Bushiri, Marvin Ekpiteta, and Warren O'Hora, while Lewis Miller was given two 45-minute spells as a centre-back; more than Kenneh managed. 

Who is going to play will be of more interest to Hibs fans as we move towards the arrival of competitive action. Day one against Elgin City won’t tell us everything we want to know about David Gray’s Hibernian, but there will be clues aplenty - not least what he plans to do with all these midfielders.