Dylan Vente hands Hibs huge Euro boost as Jojo Wollacot injury timeline revealed

New Hibs signing Dylan Vente could make his debut in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round first leg clash with Lucerne on Thursday after being granted a work permit.

The 24-year-old striker joined the Edinburgh club last week after completing a £700,000 move from Dutch side Roda JC, but was forced to sit out 3-2 defeat to St Mirren in Sunday’s Premiership opener while he awaited completion of his paperwork.

However, Hibs boss Lee Johnson has confirmed that his marquee summer signing will be in the squad to face the Swiss opponents at Easter Road after finally receiving confirmation that his visa had been processed in a huge boost for the Leith side.

“He’ll bring good finishing technique,” said Johnson. “If the ball falls to Dylan, he’s very clean in the way he finishes. He’s got good pedigree having been at Feyenoord for so long, he’s an intelligent footballer.”

Dylan Vente will be in the Hibs squad for the first time against Lucerne on Thursday.

With Rocky Bushiri available against Lucerne in the midst of a domestic suspension, Hibs are only without long-term absentees Jojo Wollacott, Chris Cadden and Harry McKirdy on Thursday. Goalkeeper Wollacott is set to be sidelined until late September at the earliest after sustaining a thigh injury on his debut against Andorran side Inter d’Escaldes last Thursday.

“He’s had his scan but we’ve not had the surgeon’s review yet,” said Johnson. “More than likely, in a best-case scenario it will be a muscle tear. In a worst-case scenario it will involve a tendon as well. Minimum, from all the information I’ve got, he will be ruled out for six weeks but it could be worse than that.”

Hibs learned on Monday that if they get through the third qualifying round over the next week, they will face Aston Villa later this month for a place in the group stage. That prospect has fuelled excitement among supporters, with Hibs’ 2016 Scottish Cup-winning hero John McGinn – a former team-mate of current Hibees Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon – now captain of Villa.

However, Johnson is adamant his players’ sole focus this week has been on how to deal with Lucerne. “Getting through the round is the big incentive for us,” he said. “Obviously Aston Villa would be a huge match for Hibs fans for a number of reasons, particularly John McGinn.

“But our focus has to be on this game. If we start letting our minds go too far into the future, we’re going to the outcome before we’ve sorted out the process. To be honest, no one’s even mentioned it (Aston Villa) because I think they understand that this is a really tight and tough game that we’ve got to do our best to win.”