Hibs dealt further injury blow as Vykintas Slivka faces spell on the sidelines

Vykintas Slivka has been ruled out for a number of weeks

Hibs have been dealt yet another blow with midfielder Vykintas Slivka ruled out of action for “a number of weeks” with a broken bone in his ankle.

Slivka suffered the injury during the Easter Road outfit’s 3-0 defeat by Motherwell at the end of last month.

But the 24-year-old went on to play, with the aid of painkillers, in his country’s two European Championship matches in the following days, making an appearance as a second half substitute against Ukraine and then playing the full 90 minutes in Lithuania’s 5-1 hammering by Portugal in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals.

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“He’s got a fracture on his ankle and will be out for a number of weeks,” said Heckingbottom. “It’s a blow.”

Slivka joins club captain David Gray, defender Darren McGregor and Martin Boyle on the sidelines, the trio all unlikely to feature in the near future.