Hibs midfielder 'could be out for season' as manager laments injury pile-up

Hibs midfielder Dylan Tait could be out for the remainder of the season after sustaining an injury during Arbroath’s 1-1 draw with Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park.

The 21-year-old, who is on a season-long loan with the Red Lichties, needed treatment just eight minutes into the cinch Championship clash on Saturday and was eventually stretchered off four minutes later.

Tait has started 12 of the 13 games he has played for Arbroath but a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines is the latest in a long line of injury woes for manager Dick Campbell, who lost Michael McKenna on the morning of the game and may be without midfielder Keaghan Jacobs for the rest of the campaign as well.

Speaking after the game, Campbell was scathing in his assessment of the transfer rules that prevent him from adding to his squad until the January window opens. Arbroath host Queen’s Park on Friday night before a trip to Dundee on January 2, and it could be a stretch for Campbell to sign reinforcements before the Dens Park clash.

Including players out on loan, Hibs have been rocked by a series of injuries since the start of the 2022/23 campaign

He said: “We lost Dylan Tait. Dylan’s just come back, and he’s a special young talent, and now we’ve lost him. It looks a bad one, he could be out for the season. It was his knee. Scott Allan’s out as well for six weeks with a broken rib. What more can you say?”

Lee Johnson has had numerous injury concerns to contend with since taking the rein at Easter Road in May, with long-term absentees Aiden McGeady and Kevin Nisbet just returned to action, while Momodou Bojang, Martin Boyle, Rocky Bushiri, Kevin Dąbrowski, Jake Doyle-Hayes, Paul Hanlon, Mykola Kukharevych, Kyle Magennis, Harry McKirdy, Elias Melkersen, Lewis Miller, and Demetri Mitchell have all either had injuries or are currently sidelined.

Winger Dan Mackay, who is on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, has also just returned to action while defender Kyle McClelland, who is with Cove Rangers on a similar arrangement, is due to return to training with the Championship side this week after a period out with an ankle injury. Striker Christian Doidge, on loan at Kilmarnock, also endured an injury set-back last month. FC Edinburgh pair Jack Brydon and Emmanuel Johnson have also just returned from injury but Allan Delferrière has missed the Citizens’ last three matches.