Harry McKirdy suffers shock Hibs setback as heart issue discovery leads to long-term lay-off

Hibs forward Harry McKirdy has been ruled out for up to six months after discovering he requires heart surgery.

The problem was flagged up during routine pre-season scans and tests and after further investigation and meetings with a specialist, the 26-year-old Englishman has been informed that he needs to undergo an operation before he will be able to resume his playing career.

If all goes well it is expected that he will be fit to return by early in the new year.

After a trying first season at the Leith club, with niggling injuries punctuating the beginning of the campaign, making a sustained run in the starting line-up difficult, both the former Swindon town goalscorer and Hibs manager Lee Johnson had been hoping that a solid pre-season would help him rediscover his top form and allow him to build on his improved showings at the end of last term, and compete for more regular game time.

Hibs forward Harry McKirdy has been ruled out until the new year after a routine scan flagged a medical issue which required surgery. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

But the latest setback has come as an unexpected blow.

Absent from the sizeable squad that Johnson put together for the opening pre-season friendly against FC Edinburgh on Saturday, McKirdy will not travel to Marbella with the rest of the players as they continue their pre-season preparations and take on FC Europa, of Gibraltar, and English top flight side Bournemouth in their latest bounce games.

Instead, the player who is sometimes seen as a maverick, off and on the field, will focus on his surgery and then his lengthy rehabilitation.

While the club were unable to reveal the exact nature of the issue due to medical confidentiality the player posted a message on Instagram stating: “Not the way u wanna start a season but time to get the old ticker fixed. C u all @ Christmas”.

Hibs have assured the player, who is just one year into a three-year deal, of their full support.

“This has come as a real shock for us all and has been a tough few days for Harry as we got to the bottom of what the scans meant,” said Johnson.

“We have a first-class medical department that will look after him and make sure he comes back fit and healthy and we’re all with him. We have to rally around him and give him as much support as possible.”