Career So Far: Alasana Manneh

Central midfielder Alasana Manneh became the Hibees' first signing of the January Transfer Window – putting pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal. 

hibernianfc.co.uk took a closer look at the 26-year-old’s career so far.

The box-to-box midfielder has no shortage of experience, having played in Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, and most recently Denmark in his senior career. Manneh is also well-travelled internationally, having won 18 caps for The Gambia.

Born in Banjul, The Gambia, Manneh began his footballing career as part of the Aspire Academy - initially in Senegal before moving to Qatar as a teenager. The midfielder impressed while in Doha and became the first player to be trained in the Academy to go directly into Barcelona’s world-famous, La Masia, youth system in 2017.

Manneh featured in the UEFA Youth League with Barca before loan spells at Sabadell FC in Spain and Bulgarian side Etar followed.

The left-footed midfielder spent two seasons at the Bulgarian top-flight side, scoring his first senior goal against CSKA Sofia in March 2018, aged 19. In total, Manneh played 38 times for Etar – registering nine goal contributions across two seasons.

In July 2019, Manneh made the permanent switch to Poland, joining top-flight club, Górnik Zabrze. Across his three years in Poland, the Gambian midfielder cemented himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet, racking up 91 appearances (all comps) – including 76 starts. 

During his time in Poland, he scored seven goals and provided eight assists, helping Górnik Zabrze achieve a mid-table finish in each of his three seasons in the Ekstraklasa.

On Deadline Day in August 2022, Manneh joined Danish side Odense BK on a permanent, three-year deal.

The first two of those seasons was spent in the Danish Superliga, before Odense were relegated after a challenging end to the 2023/24 campaign. So far this season, Odense looks set to bounce back to the top-flight at the first attempt.

Manneh has played his part in ‘The Striped’ good start to the season – they hold an eight-point cushion at the top of the table with Manneh contributing seven assists in 17 games.

On the international front, Manneh has won 18 caps for The Gambia – the first of which came as 18-year-old back in 2016. 

Since then, he has represented his national side on several occasions, helping ‘The Scorpions’ gain qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations before featuring in the most recent tournament finals in Ivory Coast 2024.

Following his work permit and visa approval, Manneh will travel to Scotland to begin life in Leith. Supporters can expect a box-to-box, dynamic midfielder who is creative on the ball and aggressive out of possession.