Hibs' Bowie 'out for at least four months'

Kieron Bowie played in both of Scotland Under-21s' recent games

Hibernian expect Kieron Bowie to be missing "for at least four months" after sustaining a hamstring injury on Scotland Under-21 duty.

Bowie came off during the first half of Tuesday's 5-0 win in Malta.

The 21-year-old forward has scored once in four substitute appearances for Hibs, having joined from Fulham in August.

"Unfortunately, further scans have revealed that Bowie has suffered a serious hamstring injury and will be out for at least four months," Hibs said in a statement.

And head coach David Gray later commented: "It’s a frustrating one. He’s damaged the same hamstring again and he’s going to be missing for a significant period.

"It’s tough to take after the positive start he’s made and how we managed his minutes. It’s difficult for everyone, especially him. That’s the most important thing, making sure he's okay."

Bowie started twice in five days for the Scotland Under-21s, playing 56 minutes of last Friday's 2-1 loss to Spain at Tynecastle before pulling up after 35 minutes away to Malta.

"Before he went the natural thing for Kieran was dialogue between us and Scotland to manage his minutes and look after him," explained Gray.

"He's come off the bench for us a few times so he was due to get a start. We can’t predict what’s going to happen. It just makes it really frustrating for everyone."