CROCKED Hibs star Kevin McCann's 16-month injury hell is set to come to an end with the young defender poised to join his team-mates for the start of pre-season training.
The 21-year-old will head for London on Monday for what he hopes will be a final appointment with the Italian specialist who operated to cure the tendinosis in his right knee.
And McCann will have his fingers firmly crossed that he'll be given the
green light to start pre-season training under new boss John Hughes on Thursday.
McCann was given the go-ahead to enjoy a few non- contact sessions before the end of the season having spent months adhering to a gruelling rehabilitation programme.
While his team-mates enjoyed their break, McCann continued to report to the club's East Mains Training Centre every day, even a holiday in Egypt allowing him little respite as he followed a training programme devised by club physio Colin McLelland.
McCann's imminent return will be a huge boost for Hughes, who is seeking competition for all positions which, arguably, his predecessor Mixu Paatelainen lacked at right-back last season.
Irish star David van Zanten was the only recognised right-back within the squad, Paatelainen having to revert to playing midfielder Sol Bamba and young centre-back Darren McCormack out of position when the former St Mirren player was out of action. The thumbs-up from the specialist will also come as a huge relief to McCann who has played just one match since early February last year, the 0-0 draw with Rangers at Easter Road on 4 May the last of his 30 starts in a green-and-white shirt.
McCann was forced to go under the knife after two courses of painful injections failed to cure the tendinosis which caused him pain with every step he took but now he's vowed to bounce back stronger than ever ready to push his way into Hughes' plans for the coming season.
Also in those plans could be Falkirk midfielder Patrick Cregg, the former Arsenal youngster said to be ready to rejoin his former boss at Easter Road after undergoing a medical while Bairns goalkeeper Dani Mallo has been quoted as saying he's ready to sign for Hibs. But Hughes has scrapped plans to sign Moroccan defender Youness Bengelloun and Blackburn's Scottish midfielder Bryan Hodge, who had spent time on trial with Hibs before Paatelainen's shock departure.
Their agent Michael Ryan said: "Mixu had done all the work to take the players to Hibs but we have since been told both deals are now dead. The new manager has said he is not interested in either player."
