Hibs without eight players to face Celtic - and situation won't improve any time soon

Hibs manager Shaun Maloney will be without eight first team players for this weekend’s visit by league leaders Celtic this Sunday and, offering a bleak prognosis, he does not expect the situation to significantly improve any time soon.

His men carved out a welcome victory over Ross County last weekend, despite the absence of captain Paul Hanlon, Paul McGinn, Joe Newell, Demetri Mitchell, Harry Clarke and Kyle Magennis, who are all recovering from impact injuries, but those players have now been joined on the sidelines by James Scott and Elias Melkersen.

And, Maloney expects to be short-handed for at least another few weeks.

“Unfortunately, the same six players are still out,” said Maloney, “and they are senior players. We've also lost Elias and James through illness, which is a shame.

“It’s a shame because Elias was progressing, and James Scott brings something to us that I see as a coach. In certain moments in matches he brings that speed and that power to finish games.”

Melkersen has still to make his debut following his January switch from Celtic’s European vanquishers Bodo/Glimt, but Maloney said that the teenage Norwegian had been closing in on some first-team action.

“It is a blow for Elias because he was really progressing and starting to really fight for that number nine shirt with Kevin Nisbet and Christian Doidge.”

Admitting that it has proved difficult to pinpoint anticipated return dates for many of them, he is hoping one or two will be available by the Scottish Cup quarter-final against Motherwell on March 13.

“With someone like Paul Hanlon, it has been quite a difficult one to put a timeframe on. Even really early on I felt it was game-to-game and we were giving him as much time as possible. “Paul and Joe