Hibs attacking 'weapon' back in contention as star duo bounce back

Youan picked up a hip injury in a collision with Queen's Park's Calum Ferrie back in July. | SNS Group

Elie Youan and Junior Hoilett have bounced themselves into contention for this weekend’s visit of St Johnstone – after both came through a closed-doors game feeling fresh and ready for action. And Hibs boss David Gray admits he can’t wait for Youan to remind Hibs fans what they’ve been missing during a brutal start to the Scottish Premiership season.

Veteran Canadian winger Hoilett hasn’t featured for Hibs since arriving at East Mains in early August due to an injury picked up on international duty, although the free agent signing has been back in full training over recent weeks. Youan has also been back on the grass and looking fully recovered from an impact injury sustained late in July’s 5-1 home win over Queen’s Park in the Premier Sports Cup.

With Kieron Bowie awaiting scan results on the hamstring injury picked up on Scotland Under-21 duty, the availability of Hoilett would be a major boost. The return of Youan, meanwhile, would give Gray another “weapon” to unleash on opponents as Hibs look for their first league win of the season.

Gray, laughing when it was suggested that some of the harshest critics of Hibs seemed to have forgotten about the absence of Youan, said: “I definitely don’t forget that I’m missing him! I think when you are out of sight, you can be out of mind a little bit, for fans.

“But look at how he’s been since he joined the club, his numbers, his ability to change the game, his attributes – that pace and power – all make him important. He’s a great weapon to have. We’re delighted that he’s fit, working hard and in a really good place.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FITBAW TALK HERE

“We’ve added to that by bringing Junior in, although we’ve not had the benefit of bringing him in on a match day. We’re seeing his quality every day in training, how he is around the place every day.

“It’s great to see all these players becoming available and getting minutes. We’ve been patient. As difficult as it is. The big pleasing thing is I can see progression every week.

“Now, it’s not where we needed to be, results wise or in some performances. We know that. But it is going in the right direction.

“The break came at a good time – if everybody comes back in the right place. Fingers crossed we get positive news on Kieron, and we’ll see where we are from there.”

Gray said adding a training-ground game against top-flight opposition to his schedule during the international break had already paid dividends, revealing: “We played Dundee United here and it was a really good exercise. Good minutes for boys who needed it – and everyone came through OK, which was the main thing.

“I think those games are always tough. Smaller numbers have been training all week, it’s not quite the competitiveness of a proper match, but they really applied themselves – and we got excellent work out of them.

“Junior did really well. He got 45 minutes from the start. Elie played 45 minutes as well.

GET THE LATEST HIBS NEWS DIRECTLY TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX DAILY WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER SERVICE

“It was good for boys like Harry McKirdy, who got nearly 80 minutes. Some boys got 90 minutes for the first time this season – Nicky Cadden, Chris Cadden, guys like that. So it was a great exercise.

“This was an opportunity to push match minutes up in a controlled manner. If they’re not feeling anything, you can let them play longer. If they’re starting to fatigue, you’re not blinded by trying to chase a result.

“We’ll have to wait and see how the international players come back before we make a final judgement, so we’ll have a clearer picture on Friday, when everybody is back in the country, because players have been all over the world.

“But it’s good that Junior and Elie have had minutes, as well as three full weeks of training with the boys. They’re both in a really good place.

“Technically, they’re available for selection. It’ll be just whether we feel it’s the right time to push them back in.”