Hibernian have signed Gambia midfielder Alasana Manneh from Danish second-tier leaders Odense Boldklub for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old graduate of Barcelona’s academy becomes the Scottish Premiership club’s first signing of the January transfer window on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Hibs had targeted Manneh as he was due to be out of contract this summer and were able to come to an agreement with Odense that allows him to join the Leith outfit immediately subject to international clearance.

Head coach David Gray told his club website: “He’s very competitive, has a fantastic work ethic and has good technical ability on the ball.

Who is Alasana Manneh ?

Born in Banjul, The Gambia, Manneh began his footballing career as part of the Aspire Academy – initially in Senegal before moving to Qatar as a teenager. The midfielder impressed while in Doha and became the first player to be trained in the Academy to go directly into Barcelona’s world-famous, La Masia, youth system in 2017.

The box-to-box midfielder has no shortage of experience, having played in Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, and most recently Denmark in his senior career. Manneh is also well-travelled internationally, having won 18 caps for The Gambia.

Manneh featured in the UEFA Youth League with Barca before loan spells at Sabadell FC in Spain and Bulgarian side Etar followed.

The left-footed midfielder spent two seasons at the Bulgarian top-flight side, scoring his first senior goal against CSKA Sofia in March 2018, aged 19. In total, Manneh played 38 times for Etar – registering nine goal contributions across two seasons.

In July 2019, Manneh made the permanent switch to Poland, joining top-flight club, Górnik Zabrze. Across his three years in Poland, the Gambian midfielder cemented himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet, racking up 91 appearances (all comps) – including 76 starts.

During his time in Poland, he scored seven goals and provided eight assists, helping Górnik Zabrze achieve a mid-table finish in each of his three seasons in the Ekstraklasa.

On Deadline Day in August 2022, Manneh joined Danish side Odense BK on a permanent, three-year deal.