Kevin Nisbet Hibs hammer blow as striker out for 'seven to nine months' in grim Shaun Maloney injury update

Hibs frontman Kevin Nisbet may be missing until DECEMBER as the true extent of his brutal injury is revealed.

Scotland cap Nisbet sustained a horror ACL injury against Celtic two weeks ago.

The initial prognosis was that he would miss the remainder of the current season.

But he could now miss up to half of the next campaign too with Easter Road boss Shaun Maloney hopeful he could at least make a potential World Cup squad in November and December, should Steve Clarke's men qualify in his absence.

Maloney said: "Kevin got surgery yesterday in London. It went very well.

"Unfortunately it was an ACL injury so Kevin will be out seven to nine months. But he is still very motivated.

"If, and I think we are all hoping Scotland qualify for the World Cup, then he can still make that squad.

"Speaking to him, he is very motivated to come back a better player and there is no reason, and I have said this to him, that he can't think that he comes back and be the best striker in the league.

"There is a lot of work to do. It is a lonely journey but we will be there every step of the way for him.

"He was very disappointed in the last couple of weeks, but I noticed that when I went to see him in London there was a slight change of disappointment to now getting motivated.

"It is very tedious the first few months with his injury, but all the work he has to do will benefit him in the long run and he has to be very motivated to come back as the best striker in the league and achieve something with the national team, and there is absolutely no reason he can't do that."