Striker Adam Le Fondre reveals details on Hibs exit
Adam Le Fondre, who left Hibs at the end of the season, has shared insights into his departure from the club.
Le Fondre scored five goals and made two assists in 30 appearances during his single season at Easter Road. Despite signing a two-year contract, a PCL injury, initially misdiagnosed as a hamstring issue, sidelined him. His opportunities diminished, especially under boss Nick Montgomery.
Speaking on the “I Had Trials Once Podcast,” Le Fondre said, “It’s just a pity I got injured when I did otherwise I’d still be there. I had a two-year deal but got a PCL injury which I was sort of misdiagnosed with. They thought it was my hammy again. I ended up playing in a game and making it f****** 10 times worse and was out for three months.
“I got back in January ahead of schedule and was called in by the gaffer, thinking I’m going to be on the bench against Kilmarnock towards the end of the window. I’m dead upbeat but he’s like: ‘Right, I’ve been told I can’t play you anymore unless you take the second year out of your contract.’ I’m like eh? What?
“I’ve got 16 appearances at this point, played nearly every game before the injury and played decent. I outperformed what they wanted from me, I’d say. I asked ‘have I been s***?’ and he’s like: ‘No, you’ve been really good and I’ve needed while you’ve been out. But the owners and the CEO don’t want you to play again unless you take this out of your contract. We’ve tried Stockport for you and we’ve tried Salford for you.’
“My head’s spinning. I thought I’m on the bench for Kilmarnock, not f****** getting shipped out. I’ve not even kicked a ball properly yet, I’m not fit. So I asked if I took this thing out of my deal, are you going to play me or are you going to mug me off? I want you to be honest with me. I don’t care if you’re going to mug but I need to know.
“He’s like: ‘No, no, you’re going to play every game.’ I went home to have a think about it. This went on for about a week or so and I said to my agent I wasn’t going anywhere on loan. If I go on loan, I’m getting released at the end of the season because I’m not fit. They’re not going to use me so I’d rather just get fit here and play until the end of the season because he said he’s going to play me.
“He agreed, I managed to get fit just after that Kilmarnock game and to be fair, he’s played me. I made 30 appearances in all comps and did reasonably well. So I was thinking let’s see what happens.
“The people who wanted rid of me, I understood it and completely agreed with it from a football point of view. Why would you want a 37-year-old striker on again next year if you’re going for this model return on assets and stuff like that.
“But I felt I deserved a bit of respect. The CEO and owner who wanted rid of me, didn’t speak to me. They just started pieing me. In the hallways, they’d dart into a room. I felt like they were avoiding me.
“I just wanted them to explain it and I would have been fine. I agreed with it and I’d probably do it myself to someone if I was a recruitment guy but I’d sit down with them and tell them. Even the gaffer couldn’t believe one of them hadn’t come in and spoke to me and said sorry about this, we really value what you’ve done this season but you’re not going to be here moving forward.
“I had to sign that out of my contract and then just play the end of the season. That leaves me where I am now as a free agent.”