Australia international Martin Boyle has undergone an operation in Qatar after being forced to withdraw from the World Cup; Hibernian will be without the forward for the rest of this season; Hibs return to action against Rangers, live on Sky Sports, on December 15
Wednesday 23 November 2022 15:05, UK
Hibernian forward Martin Boyle will miss the rest of this season after undergoing surgery on his knee.
The 29-year-old, who returned to Easter Road in August after a six-month spell at Saudi club Al-Faisaly, was forced off in Hibs' 3-0 win over St Mirren in October.
Boyle was still selected by Australia for the World Cup and travelled to Qatar, however, scans revealed a pre-existing ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
He underwent an operation to address the issue in Qatar and has now begun his rehabilitation process, with the hope of returning next season.
Hibs manager Lee Johnson said: "It has been a tough few weeks for Martin and we are all gutted for him.
"Now, it's up to us to rally around him and make sure we support him on every level throughout his recovery.
"Short term - it is a big blow for us, but we will do everything we can to support Martin to make sure he comes back fitter, stronger and a better player than before, just like Kevin Nisbet has shown in his recovery."
Hibernian return to Scottish Premiership action on December 15 against Rangers, live on Sky Sports, and captain David Marshall admits results and performances must improve after a tough start to the season.
The Easter Road side are eighth in the table after losing six of their last seven games.
He told Sky Sports News: "You want to go into the break off the back of a good win but we got a poor result at Kilmarnock.
"It has been a poor run of results from us so it's probably come at the wrong time. You can look at it in a number of ways, as we've got a few injuries which we hope we can get back over the next few weeks, so we'll be stronger come the restart.
"The last six games have been really disappointing as we'd put ourselves in a strong position before that. There's no doubt we need to improve.
"There were a lot of new additions in the summer who have taken a bit of time to gel but we have to improve our league position. It's not good enough but there's a long way to go. This club should be looking to finish as the third team in Scotland and we put that pressure on us.
"We have that external pressure as well but we have to embrace that. We deserve the stick we've received but there's a lot of football to be played in which we can turn around our fortunes.
"Facing Rangers when we come back will be tough and they will probably be looking for a new manager bounce and the style will be different. The month leading up to that fixture will require a lot of focus.
"The main thing is that we focus on ourselves, regardless of who is in the dug-out for Rangers. If we perform, we're a match for anyone in this league."
Sunday December 11: Rangers Women vs Hibernian Women (Sky Sports Cup final), kick-off 12.30pm
Thursday December 15: Rangers vs Hibernian, kick-off 8pm
Saturday December 17: Aberdeen vs Celtic, kick-off 12.30pm
Tuesday December 20: Aberdeen vs Rangers, kick-off 8pm
Friday December 23: Ross County vs Rangers, kick-off 7.30pm
Wednesday December 28: Hibernian vs Celtic, kick-off 8pm
Monday January 2: Rangers vs Celtic, kick-off 12.30pm
Sunday January 8: Motherwell vs Hibernian, kick-off 1.30pm
Sunday January 8: Dundee United vs Rangers, kick-off 4pm
Wednesday January 18: Kilmarnock v Rangers, kick-off 8pm
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