Harry McKirdy suffers 'significant' Hibs injury blow as boss Lee Johnson addresses 'real shock' to season plans

Hibs boss Lee Johnson has signalled his shock at Harry McKirdy being sidelined for the next half-season in what is a huge blow to his plans in the Scottish Premiership.

McKirdy joined Hibs from Swindon Town last season after a stellar campaign south of the border but failed to find his feet in Edinburgh after a campaign that left a lot to be desired. 22 league appearances, which only totalled 737 minutes of football, meant that it would always be hard for the London-born star to find his feet at Easter Road when playing second fiddle to Kevin Nisbet, Elie Youan and more of the attacking contingent.

However, with the former securing a move to Millwall last month, it means that there would have been more of a chance for McKirdy to step up and finally make his mark on home turf. But those hopes have been dashed in recent days, with McKirdy now set to be on the sidelines for at least four months in what is a huge blow for the Englishman and his career in the Scottish Premiership.

A club statement read: "We can confirm that Harry McKirdy has been ruled out for a significant period of time. At the start of pre-season, like his teammates, Harry underwent the usual scans and tests to ensure he was fit and healthy ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

"Those scans, however, revealed an issue that needed further investigation by the club’s medical staff and doctor. After that investigation, and seeing a specialist, it has been confirmed that the 26-year-old will need surgery, which will rule him out for between four and six months. The club’s medical team are confident that Harry will return to full fitness following his rehabilitation period."

Hibs boss Lee Johnson further relayed his dismay as the situation, as he said: “This has