Key Hibs player may not play again this season as bleak outlook spelled out ahead of Rangers match

Newell, 32, became Hibs’ club captain at the start of the campaign, but has not played in 2025 after having surgery in a bid to cure an issue in the stomach and groin area of his body. He was an unused substitute in mid-February against Celtic but since then has not featured in the first-team picture and ahead of Saturday’s Premiership match against Rangers at Ibrox, Gray explained that he may need another operation to solve the issue.

“Unfortunately for Joe, we've had a bit of a setback on that one,” said Gray. “We've been trying to push him through and trying sort of manually manage him, trying to get that niggling injury he's had for a significant number of weeks now, to be honest.

“But he's had a bit of a setback on that front. So it's looking likely that we might have to take him out for a period. We're going to find out more on that next week. But it's looking likely that could be a longer term thing now. Rather than push him, we may just shut him down. And then hopefully have a very good pre-reason.

“He might be in a situation where his season is finished. But we don’t know yet. Maybe it’s too soon to say that – but it’s looking that way, which is really frustrating for Joe. Especially how hard he's worked to try and get himself back into the team. Constantly putting his hand up to play at the start of the season when he wasn't quite right. Never shying away from it.

‘Still a part to play at Hibs’

“And now we're getting all the rewards, getting success at the back end, he's desperate to be part of it. So there's nobody more frustrated than him. But he's still got a huge part to play between now and the end of the season. With the players, off the pitch, potentially.

“We're probably looking at the best thing that fixes the problem, rather than looking for a quick fix now. Just with the frustration he's had. And the setbacks along the way. So we’ll look at that. And we should get a clearer idea, next week, of what that looks like.

“We've addressed a couple of different areas within it but it's looking like we might have to go down that route [surgery].”

There is better news on left wing-back Nicky Cadden, who hurt his hamstring last month against Celtic and has not played since. However, he is in contention to face Rangers.

"He's got a chance to be involved, which is great. We'll just have to wait and see. He trained this morning, and he came out of that fairly positively.

“When you first see injury, they give you the sort of timescale, you always worry for how long it could be, especially when you get towards the end of the season, you're asking is he only going to be back for a couple of games if it's a significant one

"And then the risk factor that comes into that. But he's really quickly recovered, which is great, done his rehab really well, and credit to the staff for putting him through that and getting him back. He's desperate to get back involved, he's trained this week, and we'll just see if he recovers after a full week's training."