Hibernian are facing a race against time in their bid to have new signing Dylan Vente cleared to play in Thursday’s Europa Conference League encounter with Luzern.
The Dutch striker has not yet been granted a work permit and the Easter Road outfit have until Wednesday evening to cut through red tape to include him against the Swiss side.
Vente joined Hibs last Monday on a three-year deal from Roda JC in the Netherlands.
Ineligible for the second-leg of the meeting with Andorrans Inter Club d’Escaldes, the Leith men were keen to hand the 24-year-old his debut against St Mirren in Sunday’s Premiership opener.
However, the necessary paperwork was not received in time, leaving Vente sitting in the stand and Lee Johnson sweating on the inclusion of his marquee summer signing for the visit of Luzern.
According to UEFA regulations, clubs can register a player up until midnight Central European Time or 11 pm UK time the day before the first-leg of a tie.
The availability of Vente would be a pick-me-up for Hibs if he is made available, with the marksman arriving armed with an impressive scoring record of 51 goals in 98 games for Roda.
Meanwhile, Chris Cadden insists the long-awaited comeback of ‘big-game’ hero Martin Boyle could be crucial in Thursday’s European clash with Luzern.
Boyle returned with a bang after nine months out to inspire last week’s 6-1 rout of Inter Club d’Escaldes in the Europa Conference League.
The 30-year-old’s double after just 20 minutes quickly overturned the Easter Road side’s 2-1 first-leg deficit and set them up for a stiffer test against Luzern in the third qualifying round.
With a reunion with former favourite John McGinn on the cards if Hibs can get past the Swiss side to face Aston Villa in the play-offs, they desperately need a step up in performance from Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at home to St Mirren in the Premiership.
But Cadden admits getting the talismanic Boyle back in the fold is a massive boost for Lee Johnson’s men.
He said: “Boyley is humungous for us and we know that. We know how good a player he is.
“We missed him last season, there’s no doubt about it. We missed him massively.
“But, as a guy, even about the place, getting him back involved in and about the changing room is massive.
“Out on the park, we know how much of a threat he is.
“It’s just different when he gets the ball, the full stadium is a on the edge of their seats thinking something is going to happen.
“That’s massive for us. He can win a game for us.
“Looking back, he was always going to score a brace on his return, because when he came back here the last time after being away, he scored against Hearts.
“He always just seems to score big, important goals.”
Cadden himself is devastated to be missing out on the European adventure after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the final game of last season against Hearts.
However, he is delighted with the way his recovery is going after surgery at the end of May and is optimistic of a return to action at the start of next year.
He added: “The injury, first and foremost, is feeling good just now. It’s been 10 weeks since the operation and everything has gone to plan as much as it could have done.
“I had a cast on for a week and then a moon boot for about six weeks, so I’ve got out of that and started walking about.
“I’ve been able to get back to normal life, really. That’s massive for me.
“Summer’s been tough. I’ve been bed-bound, recovering and keeping my leg up as much as possible.
“But I’ve got good people around me who looked after me a lot.
“The one thing the physio department were pretty clear on, as soon as I got the injury, and the surgeon as well, is that there’s two timescales.
“You can rush it or you can take your time with it and make sure everything’s right.
“They’ve not really given me a timeline, to be honest, I’ve just got barriers I need to break down, there’s stuff I need to do before I can get to the next stage.
“I’ve got an idea in my head of the start of next year, probably, if everything goes well.
“I just want to make sure it’s right and I want to come back as the best version of me and be able to make an impact on the team.
“I don’t want to come back and just be out there trying to stay fit. I want to make an impact on the team and get back out playing and playing well.
“I think I’ll take my time and make sure everything’s right before I get back out there.”
