Hibernian have been dealt a major injury blow as it emerged recent signing Aiden McGeady faces the prospect of more than two months on the sidelines.
The 36-year-old has suffered a recurrence of the medial ligament issue that kept him out of action for former club Sunderland from last November until the end of last season.
The former Republic of Ireland international, who joined Hibs last month on a one-year deal, is staring at the possibility of being out until at least October.
Boss Lee Johnson, whose side kick off the Premiership season with a trip to St Johnstone tomorrow, admitted: ‘It’s a disappointing one.
‘He’s going to be out for a sustained period of time after aggravating his previous injury.
‘It’s hard to put a timescale on it but it’s going to be minimum six weeks, although it probably averages about ten weeks.
‘It’s not ideal but it’s why you have a squad. Somebody else has to fill that void.’
Johnson also explained his thinking behind appointing former Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall as Hibs’ new team captain, with long-serving skipper Paul Hanlon stepping into a new ‘club captain’ role.
Marshall, who joined this summer on a two-year deal after leaving QPR, wore the armband for much of the ill-fated League Cup campaign in the absence of injured defender Hanlon.
Ryan Porteous, 23, will be third in line to the captaincy but Johnson insisted: ‘It’s not really a change, to be honest. It’s a new regime, isn’t it?
‘The fact I haven’t seen Hanlon kick a ball in anger yet and I’ve seen a lot of David Marshall, it felt right.
‘Paul is a key part of the club. I think it’s a great role for him with higher responsibility. He’ll be a bit of a daddy of the club, if you like, and it’s a role he can dine off for a long time if he does it well.
‘The fact Ryan Porteous is going to start concentrating on that leadership element is important as it helps him channel that aggression into the controlled aggression we want. Also his will to win can be a positive for us.’
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