Exclusive:Hibs gaffer considering 'lots of options, lots of variations' as striker candidates compete for start

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Bowie, Boyle, Youan, Gayle, Kuharevich and Hoilett in contention

Hibs have the ideal blend of forward firepower needed for the second half of the season, according to gaffer David Gray – who says keeping Elie Youan in the January window gives him extra options at the business end of the pitch. And Gray believes that the continuing return to full fitness of both marquee summer signing Kieron Bowie and Swansea loanee Mykola Kuharevich provides “another dimension” as Hibs look to break opponents down.

Including stand-in skipper Martin Boyle, former Newcastle forward Dwight Gayle and veteran Canadian international Junior Hoilett in the half dozen options available for selection, Gray said: “I think we've got a real good balance of what we've got up there at the moment, when you look at the players we've got. In terms of pace, you've got the likes of Boyle and Elie, and then the more physical ones, obviously Kieran Bowie and Myko.

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“Plus we have the experience of Junior and Dwight. So we've got a nice blend up there of options that we can use - and then you've got the energy in behind it with Josh Campbell and Rudi Molotnikov playing in that attacking midfield role at the moment.”

Explaining that he intends to mix and match his pairings according to specific challenges, the first-year head coach said: “When you start to look at all the players coming together, lots of options, lots of variations that can all play differently. There's been times, obviously, where we've played Elie and Boyle together, and went with two players with real pace.

“But the likes of Bowie coming back, Myko coming back, definitely gives us another dimension. Which is why, when you look at the business we've done at the start of the season, where we are in the position we're in now, why I'm obviously happy with the options that we've got.”

Youan remains a Hibee despite late interest from both Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City before Monday’s deadline. The French forward is currently still sidelined with a toe injury sustained in the Boxing Day win over Hearts at Tynecastle, although an injection received last week has begun to take effect.

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Gray revealed: “By the end of the week we'll have a better idea of where he's at; it's still not ideal. He went for that injection, but hopefully by the end of the week we'll have a bit more of a clearer idea as to how long it's going to be, but it's still niggling a little bit.

“That's the five days now, which is how long it should take for the injection to work. I'll have a better idea by Thursday, pretty much to see exactly where he's at, because he's not back training yet because of that, which is obviously a variable.”

Lone January signing Alasana Manneh, meanwhile, has gone straight into training after watching Saturday’s home win over Aberdeen from a seat in the main stand. The Gambian hasn’t played a competitive game since turning out for Odense Boldklub before the Danish league’s winter shutdown.

“Yeah, so that's probably something we're assessing at the moment, because he has had the winter shutdown over there, so he wasn't playing for a few weeks,” said Gray, when asked about the midfielder’s fitness. “They were back into pre-season, but he's obviously early into that process, and we've got eyes on him for the last two days.

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“We just have to try and get him up to speed as quickly as we can, because he hasn't had games in the last three to five weeks. But he's not too deconditioned.

“We also don't want to push him too quickly right away and risk breaking down, because he's still in that pre-season stage for him. But it's not as if we're starting from scratch at the start, so we'll try and push him through as quickly as we can, and get him involved as quickly as we can, as safely as we can.”

Casualty list

Neither Joe Newell nor Marvin Ekpiteta will be fit to face Ayr United in the Scottish Cup on Friday night, although the club captain is making steady progress in recovering from a groin injury – and is expected to return to group training with he squad next week. Central defender Ekpiteta, meanwhile, is working his way back from a thigh strain that has kept him out of action since early November.

The manager said: “Joe won’t be back for Ayr, but again, he's back on the grass, running every other day – so doing day on, day off, that gradual reintroduction to running. He’s expecting to be back involved with the group as of next week.

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“And Marvin, the same actually, so he's progressed really well, I thought he was maybe going to be slightly longer. He still will be, because he's been out for a longer period, so you don't just do one week on the grass, he'll have to start building that up.

“But he's looking to get back involved with the group, into partial training starting next week as well, so after this weekend, as long as the rehab keeps going the way they will, they'll be back on the grass and around the group as well, which is good.”

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