Exclusive - injured Hibs star gets verdict from leading specialist

Chris Cadden has taken a major step closer to a Hibs comeback – after the country’s leading Achilles’ specialist gave him the all-clear for a January return to training. And the fullback has thanked the club for providing top-level medical support on the long journey back to fitness.

Cadden met with Dr Seth O’Neill for a series of tests in Leicester this morning. And, speaking as he travelled north following his consultation, the 27-year-old – who ruptured his Achilles’s tendon in the final game of last season – said he’d been reassured by the latest bulletin.

“I’ve just been down to see Seth O’Neill, who is the best of the best when it comes to Achilles’ injuries,” he said, adding: “Just making sure everything is on track and all looking good.

“I was back down for more tests, so he could check my metrics and make sure everything is trending in the right direction. Which it is. We’re just covering all bases so that, when I go back on the pitch, I have confidence to know that everything is all good.

“We’ve always planned on using the winter break as a way of getting back into training, going to Dubai with the team. So we’re talking about the end of January for a return, hopefully – without putting any pressure on to pick a date.

“I can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel now. It’s been tough obviously. But I’ve had good people around me every day. Gav Dempsey, the physio at the club, has been brilliant. He’s watched every single rep, not had me do an exercise without him watching over me, and the club have been fantastic in what they’ve provided for me. I couldn’t ask for more.

“So, from a club perspective, they’ve really looked after me. I saw Seth quite early on, after maybe three months, because Gav had some contact with him. And it’s been great to have someone who is such an expert looking after me.

“If you speak to anyone on the medical team, they’ll tell you I want to know every detail. I ask hundreds of questions. Why is this happening? Why is that not happening? What’s that? OK, and what does that do?

“I like to have all my information. Some guys just do their work and go home – but I ask enough questions for everyone. I’ve become an expert!”

Cadden revealed that head coach Nick Montgomery had fully integrated him into the squad since taking over from Lee Johnson in September. The new gaffer, resigned to losing Socceroos fullback Lewis Miller to the Asian Cup kicking off in mid-January, is hoping to ensure an easy transition back to the first team, when the time comes.

“The gaffer has been brilliant since he came in,” said the former Motherwell man. “He pulled me in for a chat on his second day. I appreciated that because he had a million other things to worry about. For him to take his time meant a lot.

“He’s wanted me in every team meeting, as much as possible, to show me the way he wants the team to play, what he wants from my position. And he’s always speaking to me, along with the other coaches, about how they see me playing and how I’ll fit into the team when I’m back, so it should be a seamless transition.

“He’s also not put any time frames on me, telling me he wants me back for this or that date. He’s been clear that I’ll be back when I’m ready, which is great.

“And the way he wants to play football is exciting, 100 per cent. It’s the way I want to play. You speak the boys, and they all love it, which makes me even more eager to come back in. Hopefully I can make a dent on the team when I do get back in. The winter break will be a tough mini preseason, especially for me, a lot of hard work. But I’m looking forward to it.”

Cadden said he’d been helped on the road to recovery by team-mates determined to keep his spirits up, revealing: “It’s never good to see boys in the physio room with you but, whenever someone has come in with an injury, we’ve sort of created a wee injured group chat, made ourselves a bit of a team, even organising a bit of an injury guys golf day at the end of our rehab, stuff like that. In the dark days in the gym, working on the watt bike by yourself, you rely on the boys to get you through it.

“Jojo Wollacott was with me for a bit, Jake Doyle-Hayes was in for a while and obviously Harry McKirdy’s had his own work to do, so we’ve been trying to get each other through. We all know how important it is to pick each other up when someone is down.

“I think you feel sorry for yourself at the start, you go around asking: ‘Why has this happened to me?’ But you get over that and crack on, work as hard as you possibly can, knowing you’ll reap the benefits of working hard. It’s like anything in life, you give it everything you’ve got.”