Keiron Bowie has stepped up his recovery from injury but the timeline for his Hibs return remains the same.
Bowie suffered a serious hamstring injury that forced him to go under the knife shortly after making the £600,000 switch from Fulham. The Hibees have since slumped to the bottom of the Premiership and are struggling for regular goals as fan frustration with the team and board grows. Scotland Under 21 international Bowie was the marquee signing of the summer at Easter Road and his presence had offered punter some hope of climbing the table.
But his absence has been keenly felt and under-pressure boss David Gray has admitted that despite the front man getting out of the gym and on to the grass, there are no plans to bring forward his return to first team action. “He was back on the grass,” said Gray. “I think it’s more of a change of scenery for him getting out on the grass and having a jog rather than being stuck in the gym doing his work. But the feedback I get every single day from the physios and the strength and conditioning department is he’s a very good professional.
“He’s desperate to get back. Does every single rep. Does everything properly and everything you’d expect from him. He is just a real honest, hard-working boy and stays really upbeat, desperate to go and get fit again.
“Mentally, it is really tough. I’ve been there myself; it’s a real challenge. And he’s a young boy coming up. He started really well here.
“You need to make sure you’re not pushing him too quickly because he’s so keen to do everything right and push himself to get back as quick as he can. But the timescale will still be what it is, around Christmas.”