International recall for Jorge Claros gives Pat Fenlon World Cup headache

JORGE Claros has given Easter Road boss Pat Fenlon a World Cup headache with the Honduran star unlikely to report for training until just 24 hours before Hibs’ bid to extend their unbeaten SPL run by taking on Kilmarnock.

Fenlon admitted Claros’ early season form had delighted him, but the midfielder’s performances also earned him a recall for Honduras’ double-header with Cuba. Claros played the final ten minutes of the first of those games in Havana on Friday night, helping his country to a 3-0 win.

But the second game takes place in San Pedro Sula tonight and although kick-off is 7.30pm local time, the clock in Honduras is seven hours behind the United Kingdom, effectively meaning the match won’t finish until around 4.30 am tomorrow our time. Claros and Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre then face an 11 hour journey back to the UK, their travelling time extended even further by the fact there are no direct flights between Honduras and Scotland. As a result Fenlon won’t be able to assess the 26-year-old’s readiness to play on Saturday, when Hibs will be seeking a fifth game unbeaten, until Friday.

Claros was just one of four Hibs stars playing for their countries this week. Paul Hanlon and David Wotherspoon are expected to report back to East Mains tomorrow after a disappointing 3-2 defeat for Scotland’s Under-21 side in Austria, a result which ends their hopes of a European Championship play-off place, while Fenlon’s latest signing Ryan McGivern is also due to meet his new team-mates atsome stage tomorrow following Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifying match with Luxembourg in Belfast tonight.