Key Hibs player suffers recurrence of injury that kept him sidelined for half of last season

The Irishman hasn’t featured for the side since a 21-minute substitute appearance against former club Aston Villa in the first leg of the Europa Conference League play-off tie, and has missed the side’s last three cinch Premiership matches as well.

Doyle-Hayes only played 19 times for Hibs last season, missing a large chunk of the campaign and only making three appearances between the start of October and the start of April, albeit there was a break for the 2022 World Cup. He underwent surgery on an existing ankle problem which only came to light after he was crocked by then manager Lee Johnson during a training session, coming back to feature in eight of the final ten games.

So far this term 24-year-old has started the side’s first two Europa Conference League matches, the league curtain-raiser against former side St Mirren, and came on as a late sub in the 3-1 home win against Luzern but missed the return leg in Switzerland and the trip to Motherwell before coming off the bench in the 5-0 defeat by Villa.

But he was forced to sit out the 3-2 home defeat by Livingston, the 2-0 win at Aberdeen, and the return leg against Villa in between. No timeframe has been given for a return but the international break should give Doyle-Hayes a chance to work on returning to full fitness.

Versatile defender Jordan Obita is nursing a hamstring problem while Jojo Wollacott will be sidelined for the foreseeable with a thigh issue. Chris Cadden and Harry McKirdy are longer-term absentees.