Hibs defender Ryan Porteous ruled out for rest of season

Ryan Porteous broke down on his return to the Hibs team

The 19-year-old had surgery on Wednesday after being forced to hobble out of the Easter Road side’s 1-0 defeat by Motherwell a week earlier, only 28 minutes into what was his comeback match having suffered a similar injury a month previously.

Nathan Ring, the club’s head of sports medicine and science, said: “Unfortunately, Ryan will likely sit out the rest of the season.

“We took the decision, after consulting a specialist, to opt for surgery and ensure he has the best possible chance of being fit for the start of next season.

“The player’s welfare and long-term health will always come first for us.”

Porteous, who had impressed after making himself a first pick under former boss Neil Lennon, said: “It obviously came as a blow to hear the news that I would miss the rest of the season but I’m trying to look at the positives.

“This season has exceeded my expectations. I just hoped to be challenging for a place in and around the first team, so to have played so many games at my age has been a real bonus.

“I like to think I’ve earned it through hard work but there aren’t many clubs that would put faith in a young centre-back.

“This is just a temporary setback that I’ll get my head around.

“What matters now is that I follow all the advice from the staff, get stuck into the rehab and hopefully make sure I’m good to go for pre-season.

“I always want to play but the club’s right to put my long-term health first and get this taken care of.”