Fraser Fyvie joins John McGinn on Hibs injury list

Fraser Fyvie's groin problem got worse following the game with Queen of the South. Picture: SNS

McGinn has already been ruled out of the trip to Tannadice as he begins eight weeks on the sidelines having undergone surgery on the ankle problem which has been troubling him in recent weeks.

But now Lennon has a major concern about Fyvie, admitting the Easter Road club’s medical staff are “working round the clock” in a bid to help him overcome the groin injury which forced him off during last weekend’s 4-0 demolition of Queen of the South.

At the time, Lennon disclosed that Fyvie had been enduring an ongoing but slight groin problem while expressing the hope he’d be fit to face United. However, the injury is now more serious than first thought.

The Hibs head coach said: “There’s a bit of swelling around the groin but we are still hopeful he will be OK for the Dundee United game.”

However, Lennon conceded that while he has options, it was “not ideal” to have McGinn, who eventually found the pain from the calcified bone in his left ankle too great to bear, and Fyvie out at the same time.

He said: “We have the likes of Dylan McGeouch and Marvin Bartley, who can come in and do a job for us but we are working round the clock to have Fraser ready for next Friday.”

McGinn had an operation to “shave” the bone yesterday, the 22-year-old later tweeting to say it had been a success.

Lennon had hoped McGinn might be able to continue playing until after the United match but disclosed having the operation now should mean the former St Mirren player won’t miss as many games as he might have done had he continued to delay going under the knife.

He said: “John was too sore after the Queen of the South game. He was starting to get pain not just in the local area but up the lateral side of his leg. There was always the danger that it could fracture with it being so unstable.

“John came walking in with a limp on Monday and you have to look after the kid’s welfare at the end of the day. It was too much to ask him to keep risking it. There is some sort of result in that he won’t miss as many games as he would had he stayed on for the Dundee United game.

“We’ll get him back in mid-January which is an important stage of the season. He’ll miss seven games instead of nine so that is a bonus if all goes well.”

Lennon described McGinn’s operation as “pretty routine”.