Hibernian head coach David Gray insists Élie Youan is ignoring outside noise as speculation mounts over his future. The Frenchman, who joined Hibs last summer on a permanent basis from St. Gallen in Switzerland after an impressive season on loan, has been linked with top-tier clubs in France and Italy but remains at Easter Road.

He wasn't involved in the weekend's 5-0 victory over Elgin City at Borough Briggs through illness but Gray is hopeful the former France youth internationalist will be fit to play some part in the club's second Premier Sports Cup group match against Queen's Park in Edinburgh on Tuesday night.

“Élie trained this morning after illness," Gray revealed. "We’ll have to see how he comes through, because he really got his heart rate up for the first time today, so we’ll need to see how he reacts and assess it from there.

"Élie has been fine. He’s in a position where there’s been a lot of noise [about his future] but he’s contracted to Hibs, he plays for Hibs, and his job is to apply himself to the best of his ability. That’s what he does. He’s a professional footballer.

"When you’re at a club like Hibs, you need to be respectful of what is around you – and what it means to play for a club like this. We’re doing that at the moment, and all pulling in the same direction," Gray said. 

Read more: 

Gray could be without up to three other first-team players for the clash with the Spiders. Chris Cadden was forced off with injury during the first half against Elgin City and replaced by Nathan Moriah-Welsh while Jake Doyle-Hayes and Harry McKirdy weren't involved at all. 

"Chris Cadden is going for a scan, so we’re still waiting, just to make sure. Until we get the results of that, we don’t know [how he is]. He came off in the first half against Elgin with a tightness in his quad so we’re just managing that one," the head coach explained.

McKirdy played the first 45 minutes of Hibs' 5-0 pre-season friendly win at Meadowbank against neighbours Edinburgh City but despite travelling to the Netherlands for the summer training camp, the forward wasn't involved in either friendly against MSV Duisburg or PAOK. He won't feature against Queen's Park but according to Gray, isn't far away from a return. 

“This game comes just too soon for Harry, but he’s really close. His load in training has gone right up, so we’re pleased with where he’s at."

Gray also gave an update on Doyle-Hayes, who played the second half of the 5-0 friendly win against Edinburgh City in late June but missed the training camp in the Netherlands through illness. He made just five appearances last season, four of them in the UEFA Europa Conference League, and missed virtually all of the campaign through injury.

“Jake is getting there. He’s in a slightly different situation, fitness-wise, but is building on that all the time. He trained again this morning. We’re just managing that situation now – pushing that forward all the time, while managing it carefully," Gray added.