Hibs' injury crisis deepens as Dylan McGeouch picks up knock

Hibs midfield injury crisis has deepened, with boss Neil Lennon revealing Dylan McGeouch is likely to miss Saturday evening's Championship clash with Morton at Cappielow.
Dylan McGeouch rolled his ankle in training. Pic: SNSDylan McGeouch rolled his ankle in training. Pic: SNS
Dylan McGeouch rolled his ankle in training. Pic: SNS

The 23-year-old has been plagued by injury since arriving at Easter Road, missing much of last season with a groin problem and then sitting out a month earlier in this campaign with a hamstring niggle.

But now McGeouch has “rolled an ankle” in training, giving Lennon an added headache with fellow midfielders John McGinn and Fraser Fyvie ruled out for a number of weeks, while Alex Harris is expected to be sidelined for another fortnight with a knock.

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However, there was one brighter note for Lennon with the news that James Keatings, who suffered medial ligament damage in the 3-1 win over Dunfermline at the end of October, could be back in contention for the trip to Greenock.

Keatings, who can play either as a striker or off the front, has returned to training and while Lennon conceded it would be “madness” to throw him straight back into action after such an absence, he believes the former Hamilton and Hearts player could be in this weekend’s squad.

Lennon, though, admitted his resources are stretched at the moment with goalkeeper Ofir Marciano also out having undergone surgery to “tidy up” a knee injury, the Easter Road manager determined to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window to give Hibs fresh impetus in their push for the Championship title with American winger Aaron Kovar, as the Evening News revealed yesterday, the latest to arrive in the Capital on trial.

“We are starting to look a little bit light in some areas,” said Lennon. “Dylan never seems to catch a break. He rolled his ankle a little in training and it swelled up.

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“He may just miss the weekend, we’ll have to wait and see how he is in the next couple of days.

“James is back in training and could be in the squad at the weekend.”

Marciano’s operation on the injury sustained while on international duty with Israel at the beginning of the week went well but, Lennon revealed, he is likely to require further surgery in the future.

He will, however, be out for another three or four weeks with Lennon saying: “What was done was the minimum needed and he might need further work down the line.

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“If he’d been an outfield player he might have been out for a bit longer, but as he’s a goalkeeper the rehabilitation time should come down a bit.”

McGinn has begun his rehab programme with the club’s medical staff having been given a week’s break following ankle surgery to cure the painful problem which had dogged him for week. “He’s making steady progress but it will be another few weeks yet,” added Lennon, while Fyvie is also working towards a return to fitness under the direction of the medics.