Mykola Kuharevich cited his admiration for David Gray and the Hibs fans as the reason he returned to the Club
The 6 ft 3’ striker sealed his return to Hibs joining on loan from Swansea City for the duration of the 2024/25 campaign.
Born in Udrytsk – a small village in the North-West of Ukraine – Kukharevych began his career at Volyn Lutsk, 150 miles south of his hometown.
After coming through the youth system, the striker made the switch to Rukh Lviv where he made his senior debut towards the end of the 2019/20 season – helping his side achieve promotion to the Ukrainian top-flight and scoring four goals in 24 league games.
At the age of 20, Mykola made the switch to France, signing a five-year deal with Troyes in Ligue 1 side.
He made his debut against PSG, before a loan spelled followed in Belgium with Oud-Heverlee (OH) Leuven.
The robust striker also has international experience to his name, featuring 15 times for the Ukraine Under-21s, whilst earning his first call-up to the Under-23s earlier this year.
The 23-year-old’s first spell with the Club started on ‘Deadline Day’ in September 2022.
Whilst on loan at Hibs from French side, ES Troyes – Mykola became a popular figure among the Easter Road support, scoring five times during his 15 games across the 2022/23 season.
All five of those goals game in the Premiership, with Mykola’s work-rate, link-up play and goal threat making him a handful for opposition defenders.
Following his first spell in Leith, Mykola was sold to Swansea the following summer – earning himself a seven-figure move to the English Championship.
He featured 13 times in all comps, scoring against Millwall in a 3-0 victory at The Den.
Now, Kuharevich will be reunited with former teammates, staff, and of course, the Hibs fans as he begins his second chapter in Leith.
He told Hibs TV: “I’m so happy to be here. I had good memories from here and I’m ready to start again now.
“I was glad to hear that Hibs wanted me back and I thought it was a good possibility for me. I wanted to make this move happen as quickly as I could.”
Prior to making the switch back to Leith, he had many calls with David Gray, someone he had great admiration for.
“We had good conversations. He was one of the main reasons why I came here. I know who he is, what he’s like as a person and as a professional. I wanted to work with him again.”
The striker had a fruitful spell at Easter Road just over a year ago and looked back at that time fondly.
“I need to play football regularly. I felt so happy here when I played here. I had a good connection with the fans and the team. Everything was great. I had those good memories, and I’d like to do that again.
“The fans are amazing. I got so many messages from them. They were another main reason why I came here. I can’t wait to meet them again in the stadium.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
