Hibs: Merouane Zemmama can't wait to thrill the fans

• Merouane Zemmama is working his way bakc to fitness after suffering a knee injury

The Moroccan playmaker ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee in a challenge with Falkirk's Marc Twaddle at the end of March, an injury which saw him miss Hibs' final eight matches of the season.

It was the latest blow in a campaign which saw the midfield ace complete just five full matches in a green-and-white shirt, coming minutes into Zouma's comeback following a four game lay-off, just one of several as he was dogged by sciatica and a hamstring problem.

But now the 26-year-old is desperate to be back early next season – the last under his current contract – as boss John Hughes takes Hibs into European action and attempts to build on this year's fourth-place finish in the SPL.

Zemmama underwent an operation in London four weeks ago and will see his surgeon again in a fortnight's time when he hopes to be given the green light to step up the rehabilitation work he's already begun with physio Colin McLelland.

He said: "I'm getting better every day. I will see the surgeon in two weeks' time and he will give me a programme and speak to the physios about how it is going and what work I should do.

"I feel better after doing work with the physio and I hope to be fit as soon as I can because I miss the lads and want to play again to make the fans happy."

While his team-mates departed this week on holiday, Zouma revealed he's been left behind at the club's East Mains Training Centre to continue the lonely process of regaining full fitness.

He told the club's e-mail newsletter: "It is quite a common injury and lots of players come back from it without any problems. It is part of football and I hope to be back as soon as I can.

"I have already started my rehab programme and while everyone else is on holiday I will be working with the physio for the next three weeks.

"After that I will go back to Morocco for three weeks, but I will still be doing some work and then I will meet up again with the team."

Meanwhile, Scotland Under-19 boss Billy Stark has given on-loan Hibs kid Callum Booth permission to play for Arbroath in Sunday's Second Division play-off final at Forfar.

Booth is in Stark's squad, which was due to report today, for the elite round of the European Qualifying Championship which takes place in Croatia next week when the young Scots will face Montenegro, Belgium and the host nation.