WHILE many have bemoaned the short length of break the Hibs players have been afforded this summer, the fast-approaching InterToto Cup campaign could at least provide some Easter Road fringe players a welcome lifeline.
Mixu Paatelainen's men take on IF Elfsborg in the Capital this Sunday, before travelling to western Sweden the following weekend for the away leg in the Boras Arena.
And the early start to their European competition, which offers the chance to e
arn entry to the UEFA Cup qualifiers, means the men in green and white will have had little over four weeks break from football before they get back to competitive action. Over the next few weeks they will play at least two InterToto matches, with the possibility of another two to follow, and a grand total of five pre-season friendlies, including a mouthwatering game against Barcelona at Murrayfield later this month.
And, as Paatelainen finalises in his own head his starting line-up for the new season, some of the club's fringe players will be hoping that they will be given an opportunity to impress their manager.
Paatelainen himself conceded that the hectic schedule over the course of the next few weeks could see players who enjoyed only fleeting appearances in the last campaign, a chance to re-establish themselves in his plans.
Clayton Donaldson, Lewis Stevenson, Abdessalam Benjelloun and Alan O'Brien are among those who struggled to make their presence felt under the Finn in the second half of the last league campaign and, Stevenson apart, all have been linked with moves away from Easter Road this summer.
However, if they remain on Hibs' books, Paatelainen will give them every chance to play their way back into contention and the manager insisted that every player starts the season with a clean slate.
Stressing that no-one is guaranteed a place in his line-up, Paatelainen is hoping that his players will make it impossible for them to be left on the sidelines this time around.
Admitting that one of O'Brien's problems in particular were the niggling ankle and back injuries that he suffered throughout
much of the last campaign, he said: "Alan is an exciting player. He's not had a lot of luck with injuries but he will be hoping to put that behind him when the new season gets underway.
"It will be good for him if he can feature straight away and get a run of games going.
"He has a lot of pace and can be a valuable player because when he is playing well he creates a lot of chances and can score a lot of goals.
"Obviously this is the start of a new season and it is a chance for him to establish himself in the team if he does well. But everyone in the team right now is in the same boat and it is really up to him to prove that he should be starting in the team regularly."
While Steven Fletcher has grabbed all of the headlines during the close season, due to reports of a bid from La Liga champions Real Madrid, Donaldson has been the subject of his fair share of speculation.
Hartlepool United are believed to be the latest side to turn their attentions to the former York City striker after their hopes of landing Livingston's Robert Snodgrass diminished.
Leyton Orient now look like favourites to land Snodgrass and that may convince Hartlepool to make a move for Donaldson, who is also attracting interest from Dundee and Cheshire outfit Crewe Alexandra. However, Paatelainen has insisted that he will not let players leave the club until he has secured the signatures of a number of new faces.
The Hibs manager is keen to trim the size of his overall squad and reduce the wage bill, but has admitted that he can't afford to let players go while he seeks suitable replacements.
Paatelainen is keen to have cover in all positions on the park but, in any case, is expecting to have a full squad to choose from for the visit of IF Elfsborg this weekend and is looking forward to getting back to the football as much as his squad.
He added: "We've done a few hard running sessions and the boys have been working really hard.
"We've been fortunate because we've had a couple of knocks, but nothing that is going to cause us any real problems.
"Usually there are one or two when you get back into full training who pick up injuries but we have got a full squad to choose from.
"The lads are all just looking forward to getting back out there and playing some competitive football again."
The full article contains 791 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
