Exclusive:Hibs injury sweat addressed amid 'after international break' admission and 'not ruled out' verdicts on key men
David Gray’s men chasing a Hampden semi-final as they face Ross County in Dingwall on Saturday
Hibs have lost one of their most versatile and experienced defenders until after the international break. But David Gray hasn’t given up hope on having two crucial competitors available for Saturday’s must-win Premier Sports Cup quarter-final with Ross County in Dingwall.
Gray, who revealed that Jordan Obita’s calf problem would mean the left back/centre-half/wingback will miss the next three games at least, provided updates on much-missed attacking threat Owen Elding – also out with a calf issue – and Scotland defender Grant Hanley, who had to be helped from the field after sustaining a hip injury in Sunday’s disappointing 2-1 loss to St Johnstone in Perth.
Irish striker has missed past four games
The Hibs boss, explaining that Hanley wasn’t expected to train until Friday at the earliest, told The Evening News: “The good news with Grant is it's settling. So it was just a contact. I think when you see it, when you watch it back, it's just in a really strange place, innocuous place on the hip. So it was a collision and he landed on his hip a little bit.
“As you'd imagine, because it pretty much stopped him immediately, you don't know what you're quite dealing with, but then how quickly can it settle down? And obviously within 24 hours, he was really stiff, but he is starting to move a lot more now.
“He's been moving again today. At the time when he goes down, you fear that it could be a longer term one.
“He’s certainly not ruled out for the weekend yet, but the best case would be getting him on the pitch the day before the game really. So that's kind of where he is at the moment.”
Young Irish forward Elding hasn’t featured for the past four games, meanwhile, after suffering a calf injury in last month’s goalless draw with Gent in Belgium. The 20-year-old’s threat and invention in the final third were sorely missed as Hibs crashed out of Europe and suffered a painful home loss to Hearts.
Gray admitted that the former Sligo Rovers star was taking longer to recover than initially expected, explaining: “He’s running, which is good with no reaction. His strength’s back.
“We're pushing for this weekend. But at the same time, it's not one we can push
“We'll give him every chance again. He has definitely, I wouldn't say had a setback, but it's taken a wee bit longer than we predicted.
“It’s a calf issue. He actually played with it. He continued and played on for 90 minutes, which is something that makes you think it's maybe not as bad.
“And then it's just taken a wee bit longer to recover than we'd like it to do. Certainly longer than he would like. It’s certainly going in the right direction - but a lot slower than we'd have hoped.”
Calf injury blow for Obita
With Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath also suffering calf issues early in the season, the Hibs medical department at least have an understanding of how unpredictable the recovery times can be, Gray pointing out: “Yeah, there's a couple. I think it's not always as predictable as you'd hope as well.
“Jordan Obita came off in the Hearts game with a calf. And we certainly won't be seeing him until after the international break. So that's a bit of a blow for him as well.
“Now, there's been times where you scan it and you think it's longer term, but players are back quicker. You've got boys that get a scan and it seems really mild and it's taken longer.
“Jamie McGrath was a classic example of that. It's taken longer to get back because you just don't know how it's going to react. And I think that's been a wee bit unfortunate with some of them.”