Scotland coach hits back at critics over injury to Hibs striker and denies 'overplayed' claims

Scot Gemmill has hit back at suggestions that he overplayed Hibs’ Kieron Bowie prior to his injury on international duty with Scotland U21s. The 22-year-old was forced off in the first half of their 5-0 win over Malta with hamstring injury and the Hibees have since confirmed he will be out ‘for at least four months’.

David Gray issued a statement, airing his frustration that Bowie has picked up a significant injury despite the club managing his minutes but also stressed he did not believe anyone in the Scotland set-up was at fault. The forward only signed for Hibs during the summer and will now face a lengthy period on the sidelines after impressing the team in these early stages.

“Given his injury history we were conscious of managing his minutes at the start of the season, despite the temptation to play him more because of the positive start he made. With that in mind, it makes it even more frustrating that he has picked up a significant injury during this period,” Gray said.

“Now it’s up to us to rally around him, support him with his recovery and make sure he has everything he needs to come back stronger, which I’m sure he will.”

Bowie has had limited time on the pitch so far this season but was still able to contribute his debut goal in Hibs’ 2-2 draw against Dundee. His injury setback will see him out of action for the remainder of the year and frustrations have built among the Easter Road faithful, with critics pointing the finger at Scotland U21 coach Gemmill.

The 54-year-old has stressed that he has stuck to the agreement with Hibs over managing Bowie’s game time and that his team did not play the forward without permission.

"The first thing to say is we're all so upset for Kieron,” Gemmill said. “He's a young player who's had a big move and he had started really well. We knew he'd had a 12-week injury over the summer, but Hibs gave us permission to select him and to play him.

“But we had agreed to limit his minutes as part of his return to starting games. It was all part of a planned process, and we'd never do that without his club's permission.”