Shaun Maloney to call on Hibs kids once again for Celtic game with nine players out

Shaun Maloney will again dip into Hibs’ talented crop of under-18s to supplement his first-team squad for the visit of Celtic as the Easter Road boss deals with the absence of nine senior players.

Jacob Blaney, left, and Oscar MacIntyre were named in the first-team squad against Ross County - and they could be joined by more Under-18s against Celtic

Jacob Blaney and Oscar MacIntyre were named on the bench last week against Ross County and although they were unused substitutes Maloney insisted he wouldn’t put them on the bench if he didn’t trust them to perform.

When the Hoops come to town on Sunday they could well be joined by some of their under-18 team-mates, according to the Hibs manager.

"We had two 17-year-olds on the bench last week and we'll probably need another two or three against Celtic. That's where we're at,” he explained.

"I've never really seen anything like this before but that's football. Our medical team is working really hard and the injuries are all impact injuries from tackles and that can happen, unfortunately. It is a testing time.

"The Under-18s are doing really well; some of their results have been really positive and I think even during this really difficult period with injuries, it also shows the players that the ones who are performing well will train with us.

"I understand the history of this club so you have to get young players training with you as much as possible.

"They're doing particularly well, so they will make the bench for the first team.

"We hope we can use that to show other players around the country that, if they come to Hibs and do well, and have the right mentality, there is a pathway to the first team.”

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