Ofir Marciano has hailed the decision of Efe Ambrose to move to Hibernian as a plus for both the club and the player.
The Nigeria international recently joined Neil Lennon’s side from Celtic on a 93-day emergency loan after a temporary deal to move to English Championship side, Blackburn was countered with work permit issues.
And the goalkeeper feels as much as the deal will be of great benefit to the Easter Road outfit’s push for a promotion into the Scottish topflight, it will also help revitalise the 28-year-old’s career.
“He’s been playing at the highest level, so for us, it’s a benefit to have him here," Marciano told Edinburgh News.
"I think it will be good for us and good for Efe who is happy to be back playing again.
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“Efe obviously has that winning mentality, but when I look at our squad, I see good fighters, good players who want to win even in tough times.
“He jumped at the chance to come here which is good, but you don’t look on Hibs as a Championship club but as one of the top four in the country.
“It’s a massive club, one that Efe knows from playing against Hibs and I know he feels he has made a good decision.”
Marciano and Ambrose were teammates at Israeli side, Ashdod FC and the 27-year-old, on loan from the same club, gave an insight into the sort of relationship they had.
“There were a few Nigerian players. Israel is a nice country, nice weather, and warm people so it was easy to adapt. It’s like that here in Scotland, I feel everyone has welcomed me and so it’s been easy to adapt to the football and the lifestyle,” he recalled.
“But Efe is the sort who could adapt to living and playing anywhere, he’s a happy guy. He’s a good friend of mine, so I’m glad he’s come to Hibs because he will be a good addition to the squad.
“We had a good partnership at Ashdod and, to be honest, it’s as if we’ve never stopped playing together. It’s good to have someone you have played with before and the chemistry will get better, not just with me but the rest of the team. I don’t think either of us would have thought for one minute when we were together at Ashdod that we’d be team-mates together again in Scotland, never mind Hibs.
“But that’s the nice part of football, you never know what might happen. You have to dream if you want to achieve good things.”
Ambrose has already featured in two games for Lennon’s team; a 3-1 win against AYR United in a Cup clash and in a 2-0 loss to St. Mirren in the Championship.
