His form out on loan and thrown in as an emergency during an injury crisis had earned him……

Joe Bursik is sure he has learnt a lot from a tough couple of years in his playing career through changes of managers, clubs and injury.

Bursik, aged 23, is moving to Scotland to join Hibernian on a season-long loan from Club Brugge hoping to pull the gloves back on in anger after a frustrating lack of game time since he started the 2022/23 season as Stoke City’s number one.

His form out on loan and thrown in as an emergency during an injury crisis had earned him the first team spot at a young age and it was a tough gig at times. Michael O’Neill had seen his development as important for the club’s long-term benefit but he was pushed down the pecking order by Alex Neil and a six-figure sale in January 2023 – not the mega-money deal that had once been the dream – still made sure that Stoke avoided Financial Fair Play sanctions.

He knew he would need to fight for his place in Belgium, where Brugge’s number one was Simon Mignolet, but he was then laid low by a cruciate injury that ruled him out of action for 10 months. He got back in action with the club’s second team, Club NXT, in the Challenger Pro League, the Belgian second division.

There were a few options as he looked for more game time in 2024/25 and he has now joined Hibernian as a replacement for retiring David Marshall.

“I played a lot of games at a young age,” he said after completing the move. “I really pushed for those loans at the time because I knew how important minutes were at that age. Ultimately that allowed me get my chance with England under-21s and then at Stoke.

“It was a tough decision to leave Stoke, but I needed a change and went to Belgium. I didn’t feature as much as I’d have liked – obviously I had a knee injury so I was out for a long time.

“I played a load of games (as I was coming back from injury) for the second team so it feels like playing-wise I’m in a good place and mentally I’ve learnt a lot in the past couple of years.

” Now is a good time for me to come in, kick on, get back playing and enjoying myself; I have missed it a lot.”

He added: “I got a taste of playing again last year with the second team in Belgium and it brought it all back, that happiness, that enthusiasm, that enjoyment back. I’m really looking forward to playing more.”