Paul Hanlon's Hibs season isn't over, insists Neil Lennon

Pelvic trouble which ultimately required surgery followed by a nerve problem had sidelined Hanlon, who up until that point had played in every minute of every Hibs game this season, for 12 matches, his last appearance having been the 3-0 win over Dundee United at home on January 6.

However, he appeared to have put all that behind him when he made a cameo appearance late in the game against Falkirk before starting his first match in almost three months as he lined up against Morton.

But only a few days later, the 27-year-old was forced to pull out of the Easter Road club’s Championship match at Dunfermline only an hour before kick-off as the nerve problem flared up again.

Hanlon was absent again as Lennon’s side drew 0-0 with Morton at Cappielow at the weekend giving rise to speculation that he might have to call an early halt to his season.

Lennon doesn’t feel that’s the case although he’s unable to put a timescale on Hanlon’s latest absence. He said: “Paul has a problem in the pelvic area from which he gets discomfort and pain. There are three areas in there that need to settle down, it’s a complicated one for the [medical] staff.

“We will have to monitor his training. At the minute he’s dipping in and out and that has affected his condition. We have to find a balance where he does core work and does not inflame the area.”

Meanwhile, Hibs have revealed they’ve sold more than 15,000 tickets for their Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen a week on Saturday with the remainder of their 21,000 allocation now on general sale from the ticket office.