Hibernian will have to wait until the outcome of the Scottish Cup final to see if they have secured European football next season.
They finished their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Hearts, yet their arch-rivals finished ahead of them in the Premiership table, and they will need to hope Celtic defeat Inverness Caledonian Thistle this weekend in order to enter the Europa Conference League at the second qualifying round.
Lee Johnson will be hoping to make improvements to his squad in the summer, although there could be some key players heading out of the exit door. Kevin Nisbet turned down the chance to join Championship side Millwall in January, although Hibs will be braced for further offers as clubs scouted him during their win over St Mirren at the start of the month.
The Easter Road outfit will need to replace him with someone who could score plenty in the Premiership, and former Hibs striker turned pundit Tam McManus believes Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen should be their main target.
He said the club need ‘two new strikers minimum’ in a recent column, before claiming van Veen should be one of them.
Given his excellent campaign, it could be a move worth pursuing.
Could Hibs sign Kevin van Veen this summer?
The 31-year-old still has a contract at the Steelmen until 2024 and Hibs would need to spend in order to lure him to the capital, however, it would be worth the money.
Van Veen scored 29 goals across all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign, and he was even nominated for the PFA Player of the Year while becoming the first Motherwell player in ten years to claim a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
It was a stunning season and his goals could certainly replace Nisbet's if he does depart this summer, with the Scotsman bagging 12 goals from just 19 league appearances, finishing as Hibs' top scorer and Van Veen would be an ideal choice for the club going forward.
The striker underlined his qualities by ranking as the second-best performer in the squad with a Sofascore rating of 7.07/10, while also ranking third for big chances created (three), second for key passes per game (1.1) and first for goals scored (25).
Clearly more than just a goalscorer, Johnson should be doing all he can to make a move before it is too late. Nisbet won't be around forever and sourcing a replacement should be of utmost priority.
The 6 foot 1 gem was lauded by journalist Ben Banks, who claimed that seven goals in four matches a few months ago was “frightening form” and that the striker was “on fire”.
Indeed, for a player outside any of the Old Firm clubs to score 25 league goals is something special and it would be quite the coup should Hibs bring him to the club.