David Gray has a Hibs decision to make on Thibault Klidje

There can be no overplaying the significance of Hibs’ next three matches for head coach David Gray, whose stewardship at Easter Road is coming under increasing scrutiny.

Missing out on the Conference League after holding a 2-1 lead over Gent with minutes to go and the team’s most recent two defeats, 3-1 by Hearts and 2-1 by St Johnstone, have shifted the mood music to something more melancholy than upbeat. Gray’s critics - and there have been some even during the good times - are becoming louder.

There is also a school of thought that those above Gray have not adequately furnished him with new recruits. In terms of numbers, eight have come in - but very few have truly elevated Hibs. For a Callum Wright, there is also an Azeem Abdulai.

Thibault Klidje has started just once for Hibs this season. | SNS Group

In the immediate term, Gray just needs to get a tune out of what he has got before the international break commences on the week of September 20. The fixtures offer opportunity as well as peril: League One outfit Ross County in Dingwall on Saturday for a place at Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals, followed by home Premiership matches against Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, both of whom are struggling.

Gray’s options are limited defensively. The sale of Warren O’Hora and injuries to fellow defenders Rocky Bushiri, Jordan Obita and Grant Hanley leave him light on options. At least derby sinner Jack Iredale - sent off against Hearts - and Marko Izevic are available to him. The Serbian posted clips on his own Instagram page on Monday of him training at Hibs’ East Mains training centre. It would be no surprise to see Izevic start in the Highlands.

It is what Gray does in the final third that could make all the difference, though.

Nathan Lowe scored his first league goal of the season against St Johnstone, but the 20-year-old Stoke loanee needs to show an increased level of composure when chances come his way. Captain Martin Boyle was hooked at half time after giving away a penalty against Saints. His replacement, Ante Suto, missed a good chance and hasn’t yet found the net this season. We await an update on the fitness of Owen Elding, who is clearly Hibs’ most talented forward but is nursing a calf complaint.

The striking options in more detail

Let’s start with Lowe, who certainly doesn’t lack effort or desire. He is the one striker on the Hibs books that has proper physical presence. He is a willing runner, happy to play the channels, and he doesn’t shirk a battle with opposition defenders. He is a mature head on young shoulders and popular with his peers.

Nevertheless, his goal output - the most important barometer for a No 9 - has been, well, low so far. We have seen him miss too many good chances, against Malisheva, Gent and Hearts to name a few big matches. At 20, of course he’s not the finished article. But Hibs need a proper goalscorer if they are to flourish. There was a sign of it against St Johnstone when he ran the length of the pitch and finished well. But we need to see more of that.

Boyle is the most experienced forward at 33 in the Hibs squad and a leader. He still has acceleration is his locker and has scored three goals this season - one from the penalty spot. That is the best return from Hibs’ forward players but Boyle has not been as consistent as previously. Crucially, he is not getting the service of before, the type of balls he can scamper on to. Playing against deeper defences doesn’t help either. He cut a frustrated figure in Perth.

His compatriot Suto has not been able to contribute much either, although with just one start under his belt, he may feel hard done by. When the Australian arrived in January, he became a cult hero with his super-sub exploits. Those days feel a long time ago, though, and as yet we are still not sure whether he is a bona-fide striker or a wide player. The 26-year-old played both roles at Slaven Belupo and is probably most comfortable coming in off the right flank.

Elding is the great hope of the Hibs attack. The 20-year-old has a ferocious left foot and can play as a No 9 or a No 10. Ask anyone at Hibs and they reckon he’s destined for big things. It is unfortunate that Gray has been unable to call on the Irishman for the past four matches. It is not yet clear when he returns.

Is this time for Thibault Klidje to shine?

So could now finally be the time for Gray to put some faith in Thibault Klidje, the club’s record signing?

The case of Klidje and Hibs is a curious one. They splurged the thick end of £1 million to Swiss side Luzern two summers ago for the Togo internationalist and after a slow start to life in Leith, he scored in back-to-back matches in October 2025 against Livingston and Aberdeen to suggest that he was about to ignite.

Wishful thinking. The 25-year-old has only netted once since - against the Dons on December 30.

Klidje was farmed out to Randers for the second half of last season, where he was used sparingly by the Danes. His long-term future was up in air right until last week’s transfer window closed - especially when he was left out of the European squad to face Gent. Unless a move to one of the leagues still open for business materialises, such as Switzerland, Poland, Greece or Israel, Hibs have the ex-Bordeaux man in their armoury until at least January.

Gray has started Klidje once this season, playing 57 minutes of the 2-1 win over Rangers alongside Suto. He was introduced with half-an-hour to go against St Johnstone and spruced up the Hibs attack - albeit from a low starting point. There is a feeling that the striker has yet to fully win the trust of his manager.

Klidje, a softly-spoken individual, has taken time to adapt to life in Scotland. But there are some raw materials to work with, chiefly searing pace and good movement. With Hibs’ front line hardly being prolific of late, Gray nay feel now is the time to give him a proper chance. It is fair to say that we don’t have a suitable sample size to truly judge the striker.

Would he best paired with Lowe, a target man who can link up with him? Is he best to go alongside Suto, or with Boyle as two rapid strikers who can get in behind? He has yet to demonstrate sufficient hold-up play, which would rule him out as a lone striker. But against statistically inferior opposition in the next three games, the temptation must be to go with two strikers.

Gray needs to shake things up. Klidje would probably tell you he needs a run to prove his worth. And if selected, it is probably the final opportunity for the Togolese to show that he is not the wrong man in the wrong movie, which has become the thought of many.