Boyle still in darkened room after concussion
Hibs target star’s return after international break
Martin Boyle is still resting in a darkened room almost a week on from the sickening head knock that saw him stretchered off the pitch at Easter Road.
And Hibs hope that the looming international break will give their star winger a chance to fully recover from a concussion that saw him hospitalised.
Boyle was taken straight from the stadium to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when he was knocked out in a clash of heads with Rangers defender John Souttar late in the first half of last Sunday’s Scottish Cup contest.
Hibs boss Nick Montgomery revealed yesterday that the Socceroos ace – who will miss his country’s World Cup home-and-away qualifiers against Lebanon – was still not symptom-free, the first hurdle to be cleared before he’s even returned to light non-contact training.
“I spoke to Martin this morning, and he’s still in a dark room, not feeling great,” said Monty yesterday. “But he’s progressing slowly.
“It’s never nice having a bad concussion. It’s never a good time to get injured. But going into his international break, it gives him a chance to have a couple of weeks where he can recover. We’re hopeful that Martin will be back in training on Monday. But the most important thing is that he’s home with his family.
“The doctor has been out to see him, along with the physios. He’s just nursing a bit of a bad headache from the concussion. That’s something we need to keep an eye on. Hopefully we can get him back in next, which gives us two weeks to prepare him to play after the break.”
Hibs host Livingston this afternoon in a Scottish Premiership contest that has taken on extra significance following the disappointment of a midweek draw against Ross County in Dingwall. Monty’s men slipped out of the top six as a result of Dundee’s win over Aberdeen on Wednesday – and have only four games remaining before the league split.