Martin Boyle out of Australia World Cup squad in 'cruel blow' for Hibs winger

Hibs winger Martin Boyle will miss the World Cup after being forced to withdraw from the Australia squad on the eve of the tournament due to injury.

Australia winger Martin Boyle goes off injured during Hibs' 3-0 win over St Mirren at Easter Road on October 29. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

The 29-year-old has lost his race against time to recover from the knee injury picked up during a 3-0 win over St Mirren last month which kept him out of Hibs’ final three Premiership matches before the domestic break.

It is a devasting blow for both Boyle and the Australian national side, the Aberdeen-born Scot having become a key figure for the Socceroos since pledging his allegience to the country of his father’s birth in 2018.

Boyle had visited a specialist in Manchester before being given the green light to join up with the Australian camp, where he was continuing to receive treatment on his injured knee ahead of the opening match against France on Tuesday.

However, despite the best efforts of medical staff, Australia announced on Sunday that Boyle had been forced to pull out of the 26-man squad with Melbourne City winger Marco Tilio called up in his place.

Australia head coach Graham Arnold said: “We all feel for Martin and it is a cruel blow for him. He has been an integral part of our journey to get to Qatar and we thank him for everything he has given the Socceroos during this campaign. We also thank his club, who have done everything possible from their end to try and help. He will be back and we can’t wait to see him in the green and gold again next year.”