David Gray praises Hibs skipper's off-field influence amid injury frustration

There was mixed news on the injury front for Hibs as they put together their final preparations for what would become a memorable win at Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

After playing a leading role in Hibs’ march up the Premiership table, Nicky Cadden has been out of action since last month’s Edinburgh derby win against Hearts with a slight hamstring strain - but he was able to return to the squad at Ibrox after a full week of training and remained an unused substitute as David Gray’s men claimed an impressive three points.

However, the news was not as positive for Joe Newell after it was confirmed the Hibs captain had suffered what Gray described as ‘a big setback’ in his bid to return from a groin injury that has hampered his involvement during the second half of the season. The former Rotherham United and Peterborough United midfielder last featured in a 1-0 home win against Kilmarnock in last December but hobbled out of the action at half-time as Gray’s side rounded off their fixtures for 2024 with a victory in front of the Easter Road faithful.

There were some hopes Newell would return to action when he was named amongst the substitutes for a 2-1 home win against Celtic in February - but that remains his only involvement in a matchday squad since the turn of the year. Newell will remain on the sidelines ahead of Saturday’s home game against Dundee as Gray’s men prepare for their final fixture prior to the Premiership split.

For all of his frustration over his lack of on-field involvement and an extension to his period on the sidelines, Gray has revealed his skipper is still playing a ‘hugely important’ role behind the scenes as he looks to help his side in their bid to secure a place in European competition before the season comes to a close next month.

What has David Gray said about Hibs captain Joe Newell?

Joe Newell has not played this year for Hibs. | SNS Group

He said: “That's not something that's ever stopped with Joe, so you're not seeing him on the pitch but the influence he has in the dressing room every single day is huge. He's in every single meeting: post-match, pre-match, set-piece meetings - he's involved all the time and he's got so much respect for the rest of the boys in the dressing room. He's going to be hugely important between now and the end of the season he's still absolutely desperate for us to all be successful even though he's not part of it.

“It's a really hard position to be in, when people are playing well around you and there's success around the club and a feel-good factor and you're not directly contributing on the pitch he's certainly contributing off it and I know he'll continue to do it which is a testament to him because he's such a good professional.”

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