Hibs reveal extent of Kieron Bowie injury as £600k striker suffers 'serious' setback

Hibs have been dealt a major blow with confirmation that Kieron Bowie suffered a serious hamstring injury while playing for Scotland Under-21s earlier this week.

The £600,000 summer signing from Fulham suffered the setback during the Under-21s 5-0 win over Malta on Tuesday with scans confirming that the striker is facing a four month lay-off.

Hibs had been managing Bowie's minutes across the opening weeks of the season, with the 21-year-old making only substitute appearances as he built up his fitness after missing most of pre-season.

But the youngster was handed back-to-back starts for Scotland Under-21's matches, playing 56 minutes against Spain before breaking down 36 minutes into the second match against Malta.

Hibs head coach David Gray expressed frustration over the situation but insisted he had no grievance with Scotland Under-21 head coach Scot Gemmill.

“First of all, I am gutted for Kieron,” he told Hibs website. “I know how hard he worked to come back from his previous injury and how desperate he’s been to impress after joining us, which is something he’s certainly done.

“Given his injury history we were conscious of managing his minutes at the start of the season, despite the temptation to play him more because of the positive start he made. With that in mind, it makes it even more frustrating that he has picked up a significant injury during this period.

“Now it’s up to us to rally around him, support him with his recovery and make sure he has everything he needs to come back stronger, which I’m sure he will.”

Gray insisted the club have no grievance with Scotland Under-21 head coach Scot Gemmill’s decision to use him so prominently in both matches.

“Before he went, the dialogue between us and Scotland was to manage his minutes and look after him, so that happened,” he said. “He’d come off the bench a few times for us so he was due to get a start, that was a natural progression.

“We thought it was the right thing for him to go and do but you can’t predict what’s going to happen. It’s really frustrating for everyone.”

Hibs announced on Thursday that they had signed 34-year-old former Newcastle and Crystal Palace forward Dwight Gayle until the end of the season, but Gray said that was not a reaction to losing Bowie.

“No, but I understand why people would think that,” he said. “Dwight’s someone we’ve been monitoring for a while – I think that actually got leaked at one point – but he’s someone we’ve brought in for obvious reasons.

“His quality, his experience, I know a few players who have played with him and they speak so highly of him. He showed an interest in coming to Scotland we were delighted to get it done. It’s a real positive one for us.”

Gayle moved to Palace from Peterborough for £6million in 2013 and then earned a £10m switch to Newcastle three years later. Since his six-year stint with the Magpies ended in 2022, things have not gone to plan, with a frustrating 18-month stint at Stoke followed by a spell at Derby earlier this year that was hindered by injury.

Despite his recent struggles, Gayle is confident he is equipped to do a job for Hibs.

“I hope so,” he said. “This is an opportunity for me to prove to people that I can still do it. I believe I still can but only time will tell.”

Gayle – who could be involved against St Johnstone on Saturday – feels fit and ready to start making an impact at Hibs.

“I’ve been fit since the end of the season and I’ve managed to stay fit,” he said. “I’ve been building myself up for this moment. I’m not sure if I’m going to be involved this weekend but I feel ready.”