Hibs squad latest for Killie clash - AFCON update on star men as wide threat Cadden sweats over scan results
Calf injury causing concern as David Gray deals with wingback shortage
Hibs hope to have Miguel Chaiwa and Jordan Obita back in their squad for this weekend’s trip to Rugby Park. But David Gray says he’s still waiting on scan results to determine the scale of Nicky Cadden’s calf injury, meaning the wingback remains a major doubt to face Kilmarnock on Saturday.
Obita, Chaiwa and Rocky Bushiri have all been away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. Obita’s Uganda and Chaiwa’s Zambia sides both had their early exits from the tournament confirmed yesterday, with each nation finishing bottom of their respective section to miss out on a place in the last 16.
Uganda’s Cranes struggled in tournament
Bushiri played the full 90, meanwhile, as the Democratic Republic of Congo beat Botswana 3-0. The centre half was making his first appearance of the tournament for the DRC, who will now face two-time AFCON winners Algeria in the knock-out stages on January 6.
“I think Jordan should be back pretty soon,” said Gray, who saw his team secure a vital 2-0 home win over Aberdeen last night, closing the gap on league leaders Hearts and reigning champions Celtic to just 10 points. The former club captain added: “I think Miguel and Jordan could potentially be back.
“It’s a busy period. I think they're key players in the squad. Both have played a lot of games and they're going to continue to do that. They will definitely be strong additions back into the group.
“And naturally because you've got Jordan Obita playing a similar position to Nicky. If Nicky's going to be missing the weekend, if we can get Jordan back, he certainly strengthens us in that area.”
Nicky Cadden injured against Hearts - and missed win over Aberdeen
Asked for an update on Cadden, who had just come back from a calf injury when he was forced off in the first half of Saturday’s five-goal derby thriller at Easter Road, Gray revealed: “We've not actually had the scan result back yet for Nicky. Just the time of year, it is quite difficult to get that information back quickly.
“Nicky's positive about it. Nicky's always the same. He would try and play on all the time. That's the type of character he is.
“But I don't expect Nicky to be available for this weekend. That's for sure. Just because it’s a re-occurrence as well. Because it's on his calf again.
“He's more positive about that this time than when he first initially felt it. So I don't think it's quite a re-injury so to speak. But we won't know until we get the full extent of that one back.”
The return of Obita, in particular, would allow Jamie McGrath to move back into a more familiar role after the Irishman filled in at left wingback again last night. And Chaiwa has been a useful option from the bench – and semi-regular starter – in central midfield since his summer move from Swiss side Young Boys.
Obita played all three games for Uganda at AFCON, starting at left centre-half in a back four as the Cranes lost to Tunisia and Nigeria, while picking up a single point against Tanzania. Chaiwa was part of a Zambia squad who exit the tournament despite drawing against group rivals Mali and Comoros, with a 3-0 loss to host nation Morocco doing the damage.