Hibs injury news - Top chance maker OUT but gaffer Gray insists star man WILL be back before end of season

Hibs have been dealt a major injury blow with the loss of top chance maker Nicky Cadden with a hamstring strain. But Easter Road boss David Gray says the wide man WILL be back before the end of the season – and insists he’s got no doubts over double Player of the Year winner Jordan Obita stepping up to start.

Gray feared the worst when left wingback Cadden, who tops the team charts in scoring opportunities created, pulled up just over half an hour into Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat at Celtic Park. But a scan has given the gaffer reason to feel encouraged over a timescale for the 28-year-old’s return.

Gray, who said Cadden’s twin brother Chris had trained again today despite suffering a back injury late in the 2-0 defeat to Celtic, revealed: “Nicky, yeah, so he came off with his hamstring, just overstretched that. We sent him for a scan, and there's a wee strain on his hamstring, which is a blow, but when somebody pulls it up the way he did, usually there's some sort of damage there. So that'll be a few weeks for him, probably.

“Not long, long term. It wasn't, I don't believe, horrendous, it was more just a slight strain, so that'll be a few weeks.

“It is shame because he’s been doing really well. Even in the Celtic game, he was actually settled into the game, hit his top speed already in the game, so it was just one of these things, unfortunately.

“But hopefully we'll get him back as quick as we can. The good thing is, it's still all big games, because it's now the end of the season - and he will be back before the end of the season. We'll get him back as quick as we can.”

Top of charts in ‘big chances’ created

Cadden has been virtually an ever-present in the starting XI when fit, with his numbers – 41 chances and nine ‘big chances’ created, according to stats experts FotMob – backing up the eyeball test for a player whose deliveries from the left flank, or with a dead ball, can cause chaos. He’s also second in the scoring charts for Hibs, behind only international striker Martin Boyle, with five for the season.

But Gray has confidence in Obita, who scooped up Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year last season, the first-year head coach saying: “It’s 100 per cent reassuring to have someone of Jordan’s quality to step in. Jordan's had to be really patient with for a number of weeks now, having found himself out of the team. The team's been doing really well so he’s had to be really patient.

“Having a player like that who can come in and play that position, that’s the beauty of having a strong squad. There's a few positions like that as well, where we have strength in depth.

“And it's going to be required between now and the end of the season, because this naturally happens. You pick up knocks, especially off the back of that three-game week last week and then going to Celtic Park. It was a big challenge, a big ask for the players – and unfortunately Nicky picked up that injury.”

Former Barcelona prospect’s World Cup hopes

Providing an update on Chris Cadden, who soldiered on after jarring his back late at Celtic Park, Gray said: “Cadds came off, well, tried to come off, but he's back. So that's just the way he landed. Went into a tackle, a collision, and more of an impact the way he landed.

“But he actually trained today, still feeling it, but it's more of an impact thing. So just above the very bottom of his back, I think, just the way he landed.”

Club captain Joe Newell won’t be risked on the artificial pitch at Kilmarnock this weekend, with next week’s international break giving the midfielder the perfect chance to recover from a niggle. Marvin Ekpiteta and January signing Alasana Manneh are both working to gain match fitness.

Former Barcelona prospect Manneh has been named in Gambia’s provisional squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and the Ivory Coast. But national team coach Jonathan McKinstry is expected to cut his initial 33-man group to 23 players at a squad announcement tomorrow.

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