Ian Murray believes he has returned to Hibernian a better player than the one which left for Rangers almost three years ago.The 27-year-old agreed only a short-term deal when he re-signed for Hibs in January but on Thursday he celebrated his rehabilitation in the capital by penning a new two-year contract.
The Scotland cap found his chances of cementing a first-team place at Rangers affected by two changes of manager and a debilitating bout of reactive arthritis that kept him sidelined for the first five months of last season.
And when a subsequent switch to Norwich last summer was ruined by the departure of boss Peter Grant, Murray sealed a return to his native Edinburgh under former team-mate Mixu Paatelainen to rebuild his career.
He said: "It's not gone as I thought it would go. I didn't think I would go down south and then come back up here.
"I enjoyed my time at Rangers, although we didn't do as well as we hoped and I had three managers in my time there.
"I then went down south and lost a manager within a month. The new guy came in and didn't fancy me and I moved on.
"But on the other side of the coin I've been lucky that Mixu got the job, someone I've worked with in the past and who knew me, so you can't be negative about the whole thing.
"These experiences make you stronger and better as a player. People have told me already they feel I'm a better player coming back this time, which is nice to hear.
"But I don't know what they expected, because I had been playing for two years at Rangers with top-class internationals and against better players in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup."
Murray has played an integral part in Hibs' resurgence under Paatelainen, which has seen them enter a three-way fight with Dundee United and Saturday's opponents Motherwell for third place and a UEFA Cup spot.
However, he added: "I just want to play as many games as I can and stay as fit as I can. As long as I know I've given myself the best possible chance I'll be happy.
"But it's a bit early to be saying I want to do this or that. Hopefully I can play my part in the team kicking on."
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