Rocky Bushiri injury complicates Hibs transfer plans as club forced to play waiting game

Hibs believe it is increasingly unlikely that defender Rocky Bushiri has broken his leg but face an ongoing wait to establish the extent of the injury sustained in the weekend Scottish Cup defeat to derby rivals Hearts.

The 23-year-old, who joined on loan from Norwich City last season before signing a permanent deal until 2025, was carried off the pitch on a stretcher and then transferred to hospital after the match but swelling has, so far, clouded a definitive diagnosis.

The club had hoped that a scan at the beginning of the week would clarify the situation but, although medical staff now believe that a break is unlikely, ligament and other soft tissue damage cannot be properly assessed until the inflammation dies down, which they now hope will be within the next 48 hours.

It is another blow for the club, in a season where manager Lee Johnson has already been denied many of his first-choice players through injury.

Hibs defender Rocky Bushiri goes down injured during the Scottish Cup fourth round defeat to Hearts on Sunday. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Bushiri himself was a notable absentee at the beginning of the campaign as an ankle knock forced him to sit out seven matches.

The timing of the latest injury complicates matters further as the manager weighs up options in the transfer market.

A centre-half was already on the shopping list, with Ryan Porteous set to depart, but he was also hoping to strengthen his goalscoring options. That need for reinforcements at both ends of the pitch has now intensified, as Bushiri faces another spell on the sidelines and top striker Kevin Nisbet looks to be another heading out the door.

There have already been a number of departures as Johnson attempts to trim down his playing squad but while offloading superfluous fringe players was always the option - Demi Mitchell looks like he could be the next to leave in search of regular first team football - the injuries to Kyle Magennis, Mykola Kukharevych, Martin Boyle, and now Bushiri, allied to the anticipated sale of Nisbet and Porteous, means there is a real need to bring in quality to bolster the team as they fight to safeguard their place in the top six and then make a play for a European spot.

And, with less than a week of the transfer window remaining, the sooner they know the extent of Bushiri’s injury, the better.