Tavares out to repay Montgomery's trust

Jair Tavares has revealed that his first season at Hibs was "the toughest time" of his career so far.

The 22-year-old signed for Lee Johnson from Benfica's youth set-up in the summer of 2022, but made just nine first-team appearances under the English manager, as he struggled to make an impact in his new surroundings.

“It was a hard time,” Tavares admitted to HibsTV. “The toughest time I’ve had in my short career.”

“I was devastated mentally to be honest. At that time the hardest thing was to come [to training] and smile. I was devastated mentally; I woke up every day knowing I wasn’t going to play at the weekend. I just had to try and smile.

However, Tavares has found a new lease of life under new manager Nick Montgomery, starting the last four games and scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw with Ross County.

The Portuguese winger now wants to repay that faith by showing what he's all about.

“Since day one [Montgomery] made it clear that it was a fresh start for everyone. I saw that as an opportunity.

"Every player wants to feel like the manager trusts him. I feel that the gaffer and the rest of the coaching staff are giving me trust.

“I just need to prove I’m able to do something to reward the trust they have in me.”