Exclusive:Hibs injury news - surgery update on Easter Road star as trio return for 'nine cup finals' in European battle
Scotland hero Hanley one of three stalwarts back in contention to face Livingston
Injured Hibs powerhouse Josh Mulligan is ahead of schedule in his recovery from ankle surgery – and could even be back in action before the Scottish Premiership split, according to gaffer David Gray. The Easter Road side remain in the hunt for a European place, with four huge games to come before the top six separate from the SPFL rump, and Mulligan’s return would represent an enormous boost for Gray.
The Hibs boss welcomed a trio of experienced campaigners back into the first-team fold during his team’s enforced break, with Scotland World Cup hero Grant Hanley, versatile left-sided defender Jordan Obita and stalwart wingback Chris Cadden all featuring in a bounce game against Raith Rovers at East Mains. And he provided an encouraging squad update – with just one minor setback – earlier today.
Mulligan hasn’t featured since limping out of action in January’s Scottish Cup loss to Dunfermline at East End Park, with the all-action midfielder – on the fringes of Steve Clarke’s World Cup squad – later revealed to have required a minor operation. The former Dundee stand-out, an instant hit with Hibs fans following his arrival as a free agent last summer, is the only established first-team starter currently on the casualty list.
Energetic game breaker ‘doing everything right’
And Gray said: “He is doing well. In terms of the length of time he was expected to be out, he is probably going to be in front of that, because he has trained really well. He is doing everything right, he has not had any setbacks at all, which is great.
“We’ve not got an actual date that we are aiming for. It was always going to be around about 10-12 weeks, I think is what we were expecting.
“But he is definitely going in the right direction, and we expect to see him back before the end of the season, which is great. As in when, not too sure.
“We can’t say it will be before the split, but it will probably be round about that time. But I am hoping, all being well, we maybe get him in before the split happens.”
Skipper’s first full game in over a year
Hibs used their closed-doors friendly against Championship side Raith to get game time into a number of fringe players, including giving club captain Joe Newell his first full 90 minutes in SIXTEEN months. And Gray, who said he’s likely to repeat the exercise during the international break at the end of this month, was also able to get a trio of wise heads back into game mode after injury-enforced absences.
The gaffer explained: “Obviously with having no game at the weekend, it gave us an opportunity to organise a bounce game against Raith Rovers here. We got controlled minutes for some boys, so we've got 90 minutes in for a good chunk of the boys who needed that.
“We’re talking about players who've not had a lot of games, so Gara (Munashe Garananga), Chris Cadden, Kanayo, Joe Newell, Alsana Manneh, Josh Campbell, Elie Youan, they all got 90 minutes, which is great, because they've not had that for a long period.
“I think the last time Joe Newell played 90 minutes was the 3-3 game against Aberdeen, when Rocky scored the late equaliser! He’s had minutes since then, but this was a proper bank of 90 minutes.
“And then, returning from injury, Jordan Oita, Grant Hanley, both played 45, which was part of the plan. So they came through that.
“And I was able to obviously rest a few that have played significant minutes, and give them a bit of a de-load. So the ones that have played the minutes got a bit of a rest, which is good.
“The only negative was a wee injury in training, Rudi Milotnikov rolled his ankle, which will keep him out for a week or so, not too long, but he won't be available this weekend. It’s not the same ankle, he just went over on it awkwardly, but it’s nothing that will keep him out for a long period.”
Hibs will need everyone in battle for UEFA qualification
Cadden was close to returning from a calf injury before the enforced shutdown caused by Hibs crashing out of the Cup, while Obita and Hanley – both side-lined with hamstring issues – have also returned to full training after their bounce game outing.
“All three have trained fully since then as well, which is great,” Gray confirmed. “As I say, Jordan and Grant only played 45 minutes, they've not trained as much as Chris Cadden, who came back a week before them and got the full 90 against Raith.
“Yeah, they would be available for Livingston his weekend. We'll obviously just have to wait and see. They've trained this week so far with no effect, they're still catching up a little bit in terms of how much time they've been out.
“But depending on the squad and what happens with them now and announcing the squad, at this moment in time they're not injured, they're not being restricted at all, they are full training at this moment in time, which is good.”
Gray is focused on making sure he keeps the entire squad in peak condition for what he calls “nine cup finals” between now and the end of the season, as Hibs look to overhaul Motherwell – currently seven points clear – to claim fourth place. Finishing fifth would leave them relying on Celtic winning the Scottish Cup in order to qualify for UEFA competition for a second straight season.
Addressing the importance of getting his fringe players ready to contribute, the manager said: “I think we will need them. The strength of the team is always the group.
“We've got nine cup finals now between now and the season, to try and get as many points as we can, and we've got a strong squad. But you need everybody to be ready.
“We’ve had players coming back from injury and, at this stage of the season, training is one thing. But you can’t really replicate what you get out of a game.
“So it was really good to get minutes into players with the bounce game. And we probably will look to do that again round about international break, or in that period, just to make sure everybody is getting up to speed, and making sure they are ready to go if called upon.”