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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
Sport
Blair Meikle

Shaun Maloney fears lengthy Hibs lay-off for Kevin Nisbet as boss 'proud' of Celtic draw

Hibs manager Shaun Maloney fears Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet could be set for a lengthy lay-off after he went off with a knee injury against Celtic.

The 24-year-old was forced off in the first half following a foul by Hoops defender Carl Starfelt.

He later left the stadium in a knee brace and crutches, sparking fears over a lengthy lay-off.

Maloney confirmed it looks like a bad one for the striker.

"It doesn't look too promising for Kevin," he said.

"It's his left knee. It wasn't the worst tackle ever, but when you try and stop a counter-attack like that, it's not great.

"With these things you have to wait for the scans, so we'll probably find out tomorrow, but it doesn't look too great at the moment. It was a big blow to lose him."

Maloney was proud of the way his Hibs team played in working towards a hard-earned point.

"The performance was very good," he said. "We definitely earned that point with a lot of hard work. The players gave me everything. I'm really proud of them.

"The whole team defended excellently. The way Celtic play is quite unique with what they do with their full-backs.

"We had to defend that and the attacking players had to defend more than I'd like. As energy levels dropped, we got deeper but they showed amazing heart.

"Every successful team has to have a bit of grit. The best teams in our league have a side to them like that.

"We showed it against Hearts, we showed it against Ross County at times and we showed it today. We have to show that every game."

Maloney insists he had no reservations about fielding Ryan Porteous after the centre-back was charged in relation to an alleged assault.

"After speaking to him the last couple of days, I sensed he was focused on the game," he said.

"At that point the decision was quite clear."

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