Exclusive:Why Hibs captaincy has passed from Martin Boyle to Felix Passlack as 'what we need' skipper switch explained
Injury latest ahead of Celtic clash at Easter Road as attacking options limited
Marink Reedijk has explained his decision to change the on-field captaincy of Hibs. And the new manager insists Martin Boyle is fully on board with handing over the armband to Felix Passlack.
Revealing that he’d had an “honest conversation” with regular match-day skipper Boyle, the Dutch coach said he would still expect the long-serving veteran attacker – the last man standing from the club’s 2016 Scottish Cup win – to play a big part in leading the team. But he confirmed that experienced German fullback Passlack will carry the responsibility of captaincy moving forward, although Joe Newell remains club captain.
Reedijk, who provided an injury update on a couple of key attacking threats, told The Evening News: “For me it is important that everybody has his role - and the roles now are based on the observations I've made now. Felix is, for me, a leader by example. He goes a thousand miles, does his utmost best, leaves everything on the pitch, and this is what we need at the moment. Therefore he is captain.
“Besides, he is a guy who is right for the moment, not just leading by example – which is important. He is a guy who also has to give his opinion and is someone who is experienced enough to know what's demanded.”
Praise for ‘different type of leader’ Boyle
Explaining how he’d addressed the issue with Boyle, who started in Saturday’s home loss to Falkirk, Reedijk said: “I had a conversation with Martin about this, and for Martin it's not that he's not a leader, but he's a different type of leader. I believe that in this moment in time, the team needs another leader than Martin is.
“Martin, for me, is someone who is always brave and wants to ask for the ball and does things. He can change a mindset in a dressing room or on the pitch just by an action or something, which is unexpected in that sense. This is what I like about Martin.
“We had an honest conversation about this. I spoke about him and his leadership role, how I see it – and he completely bought into it and agreed.”
Injury news for Celtic at Easter Road
Stuck at the foot of the Scottish Premiership after back-to-back defeats in Reedijk’s first two games at the helm, Hibs entertain league leaders – and reigning champions - Celtic at Easter Road on Sunday. They’ll face the title holders without the services of Callum Wright and Nathan Lowe.
Attacking midfielder Wright, who has chipped in with two goals from five league starts, will be out for “weeks” despite a positive scan on a groin issue that kept him out of the Falkirk game. On-loan Stoke striker Lowe, meanwhile, is still struggling with the back problem that saw him miss Saturday’s game.
Providing an injury update, Reedijk said: “No, nobody comes back. The guys who came back in the squad are still alright. So that's a good sign.
“Nathan has an issue with his back. How long? Depends. I think it will be a matter of days, maybe some weeks. Callum had a good scan, so also a few weeks. That was his groin. So the scan was better than expected.”