Boyle gives update on his Hibs comeback as return to action is pencilled in

Martin Boyle is working flat out in order to be back on the pitch for Hibs as soon as possible – but admits he’s having to put the brakes on to contain his excitement.

The winger has been recovering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament – a problem he might have been playing with for up to seven years – but is eager to be back in the thick of things with his Easter Road colleagues having just returned for the start of pre-season training. The real test, he says, is keeping a rein on his enthusiasm.

"I’ve not had much of a break as I've been in all summer. The rest of the lads had three weeks off but I came in throughout the summer to get myself prepared and get a head start,” he explained. “I’m back in training and trying not to get carried away but it feels good. I’m quite a high-powered guy and I get excited when I've been out on the pitch. Obviously, when you get the buzz back, it’s hard not to try to get more involved but I am still doing bits and pieces on the side and I have to be a little bit patient.”

Boyle is hopeful of being ready for the Europa Conference League second round qualifying tie against either Víkingur Gøta of the Faroes or Andorran representatives Inter Club d’Escaldes but has targeted gametime in the upcoming summer friendlies to prove his fitness ahead of the return to competitive action. The trick is managing his own expectations and resisting the temptation to do too much, too soon and risk suffering a set-back.

Martin Boyle has been working hard all summer in a bid to accelerate his return to action

"It’s hard to set targets and get too excited when the physio team is on your back but I need to keep working hard and get myself up to full fitness and full strength,” he added. “Hopefully I can play some part in the pre-season games and ideally show that I’m ready for Europe. I’m hoping so. Because I’ve been in all summer and loaded myself up we are tapering it a bit. The lads are just getting back into the swing of things so I'm just building things up, getting a bit stronger and participating in training in the hope I can play in the games that are coming up.”