Former Preston North End, Plymouth Argyle and Man United figure made favourite for Hibs job

Former Preston North End defender David Gray has emerged as the leading favourite for the Hibs job.

The Edinburgh club parted company with former Sheffield United defender Nick Montgomery almost a fortnight ago. Gray took over at Easter Road as interim boss for the fourth time, but now the Hibernian chiefs could give him the job on a permanent basis.

The 36-year-old remains the favourite for the job with the bookies, and has impressed the Hibs decision makers enough to earn an interview according to The Scotsman. Gray oversaw a win over St Johnstone and a draw against Motherwell in his two games in charge.

Former Cardiff City, Watford and Wigan Athletic boss Malky Mackay is one of the men that will decide if Gray is right to lead one of Scotland's biggest clubs forward. Mackay was appointed as sporting director on the day of Montgomery's sacking, having held a similar role at the Scottish FA.

Should Gray do enough to earn the role full-time, it would be his first permanent job in senior management. He retired from playing in June 2021 and has been a coach at Hibs, working under Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and most recently Montgomery. His managerial record is five wins, three draws and four defeats across four spells, and his association with the club could suggest that he is a good candidate.

The former right-back was at player at Preston North End from 2010 to 2012. He joined when Darren Ferguson was in charge after opting to join the Lilywhites over staying at Manchester United. Gray appeared 52 times in a North End shirt before joining Stevenage where he would work under Graham Westley.

He spent half a year at Burton Albion, before finding a home at Hibs, despite beginning as a Hearts youth player. Gray was a player for Hibernian for seven seasons and won the Scottish Cup and the Scottish Championship with them.