There were three pictures on his Instagram page, all typical action photos from the thick of matches accompanied by a forlorn, yet honest caption: ‘Getting bored now’.
Chris Cadden last kicked a ball during Hibernian’s 1-1 draw with Hearts at Tynecastle back in May; a game billed as the battle for fourth place but remembered for the post-match rammy that resulted in four red cards. One each for former Easter Road boss Lee Johnson and defender Rocky Bushiri - an unused substitute on the day - and one apiece for Hearts’ back-up goalie Ross Stewart and goalkeeping coach Paul Gallacher.
Given events that followed the final whistle you could be forgiven for forgetting that Cadden and Jake Doyle-Hayes both sustained injuries during the second half, the Irishman damaging his shoulder and the former Motherwell defender suffering a torn Achilles which meant surgery, a lengthy spell on the sidelines, a moon boot, crutches, learning to walk again - and even missing his own stag do.
Doyle-Hayes has since returned to action albeit briefly, suffering a recurrence of the ankle injury that dogged him last season, but his team-mate hasn’t.
It might sound harsh to affix Cadden with the ‘utility man’ label - since arriving at Hibs in January 2021 he has played in no fewer than eight different positions - but in this case it is a compliment. His versatility has seen him deployed as a right-back, centre-back, left-back, central midfielder, defensive midfielder, right wing-back, and on each flank.
Last season he was mostly used on the right of a back four, pushing up into midfield when Lewis Miller was given a run of games towards the end of the season. Most managers relish a settled rearguard so perhaps that goes some way to explaining the alarming propensity with which Hibs have conceded goals from the left flank so far this season.
‘The new gaffer did a big thing…’
As well as chasing a return to full fitness and the pitch, Cadden now must impress a third new permanent manager at Easter Road since joining in January of 2021. Jack Ross brought him back to Scotland from the United States, where gametime with MLS side Columbus Crew was limited, before being replaced by Shaun Maloney, who was followed by Lee Johnson, and now Nick Montgomery.
Like most people at the club, Cadden has been impressed by his first interactions with the new manager, who came armed with a reputation for good man management and a liking for hard work.
"It's tough because whenever a new manager comes in you want to make a good impression on the pitch, but I can't do that, so nothing has changed for me; I'm still working hard in the gym every day,” Cadden told the Hibs Observer in an exclusive interview.
“But one thing the manager did - I think it was on his second day - was he pulled me into his office for a chat and spoke to me for five to ten minutes just to ask about me, how I was getting on, and how the rehab is going.
"He probably didn't think it was a big thing, but it was big for me because I'm the guy with the ruptured Achilles who isn't going to play again until next year, and there he was speaking to me on his second day in the building.
"He didn't need to do that - I'm the least of his priorities, he's got a million other things to think about, so for him to do that was huge. I really appreciated it and every time he sees me now, he's asking after me, and checking on the rehab. It's just that personal touch. He's been brilliant.”
‘The bad side of football’
And what about that social media post? We don’t often see players saying the quiet part out loud. We’re used to defiant messages about overcoming adversity - but the psychological impact shouldn’t be overlooked.
"It's the bad side of football really, isn't it?” Cadden said with a shrug. “It's tough at times. This will be the hardest part of my career, but I just want to come out of the other end stronger and be able to look back in five years’ time and say, 'it was rubbish when it happened, but it might not have been the worst thing'.
“It's helped me physically, I've been doing a lot more in the gym and there's no reason why I can't come out this in the best physical shape I've ever been in,” he added.
"So that's my mindset. It's a wee mid-career break of sorts, but hopefully I can get more time added on at the end of my career if I look after myself and keep on top of the other wee aches and niggles, which you always have as a footballer. That's been the bulk of my focus.
“I've been seeing sport psychologists for four years now, it's something I do a lot. So, nothing's really changed on that front, I'm just obviously using it around the injury rather than games. I don’t want to just come back, I want to come back better.”
‘You lose your independence’
Cadden has had previous injuries like all footballers but not one as serious or debilitating as this. The scale of the setback, especially in the early days of the injury, was not insignificant, as he recalls the difficulty of sitting stranded, unable to do anything, with his foot encased in a moon boot.
"I've never had to have surgery on an injury before, and this operation was a big one, repairing the Achilles. And for the first six to eight weeks, you can't do anything, so that was new. I've never had that length of time just sitting there unable to do anything. I found that tough,” he admitted.
“You lose your independence; you're sitting in the house and even if you just want a cup of coffee you've got to shout your partner to do it for you.
"That was tough at the start. Getting out of the boot was big for that reason.”
‘I’ve got barriers to break down’
So when can we expect to see Cadden bombing up and down that right flank once more?
"The first thing the physios said to me is that they don't want to put a timeframe on it and say, 'this is when you'll be back' because if I don't get there it's a big loss and if I do get there then it's just what I was expecting so there's not really a 'win' from putting a timeframe on it,” he explained.
"The recovery is going well; it's going according to schedule. I'm starting to step up the rehab in the gym, I'm doing a wee bit more movement to get me towards the pitch, and I feel like I'm making progress. Everything is on schedule which is all I could ask for.
"So probably at the start of next year, if everything goes to plan. If it takes me longer, or if it's quicker, then I'll deal with it. I've just got these barriers to break down: get back to running, then from running back to training, then from training into games.”
Such is his determination to come back better that he doesn’t want a token five or ten minutes at the end of a game as a ‘welcome back’ gesture.
"The last thing I want to do is be out on the pitch for the sake of it. When I'm back training and playing I want to be there to make an impact. I want to get back into the team, I want to show people the best version of myself. I want to do my best, for me and for Hibs.
"It's very easy to say that three or four months in, but I'm sure when I'm getting closer to a return the physios might need to rein me in a little. It's a serious injury and I want to make sure that I'm not just good for the rest of this season, but good for the rest of my career. I've just turned 27, I think I've got a good few years ahead of me, and I just want to make sure I'm right.
“I was brought up to be a hard worker and that's how I've tried to approach the rehab - not miss a rep, and hopefully get the benefits at the end of the process.”
‘Caitlin has been unbelievable’
He is effusive in his praise for fiancée Caitlin, for not only looking after him in the early days of his recovery but also dragging him out from underneath the black clouds that loomed over him - and taking on the bulk of the dog-walking too. More free time at weekends means more time for wedding planning as well, with the big day set for next summer.
“Caitlin has been unbelievable, although she’s making me do a lot more now to make up for lost time! For the first two weeks I was just sitting in the house moaning, feeling sorry for myself, like it was the worst thing in the world. I took a wee bit to get out of that mindset, but the world goes on, the sun comes up, and after that two weeks she was the one trying to drag me back to how it had been. She’s been great,” Cadden said.
“Everything is still going to plan with the wedding. I’m just relieved it wasn’t the summer just past that we were due to get married - imagine doing that in a boot?
“But it’s all going well. I’ve had more spare time on weekends because I’m not building up to anything. It’s funny because Caitlin will tell you that on normal game days I don’t really speak to her, I’m properly on edge and not great to be around, especially if we get beaten. It’s not quite so bad now with me not playing but after one of the games, I think it was Livingston, I still went home in a mood. She couldn’t understand it. She thought one of the positives of me not playing was that I wouldn’t be as up and down!
“But I am more level, and not as moody now so I’ve been able to do a bit more wedding planning. But she’ll still tell you I’ve done nothing!”
Third time’s a charm?
Frustratingly for Cadden, injuries have now twice robbed him of the chance to fulfil a dream: playing in Europe. A hairline fracture in his lower back ruled him out of appearing against FC Santa Coloma and HNK Rijeka under Jack Ross, and his current injury sidelined him for the games against Inter Club d’Escaldes, Luzern, and Aston Villa earlier this season.
“I keep missing European runs,” he said ruefully. “It’s something I want to do; I want to play in Europe for Hibs and get those games. You want to test yourself against these other teams. It’s motivation, yes, but I’ve not really thought about it specifically. I just want to get back playing, and that first appearance back at Easter Road will fuel me and drive me on.
“I don’t want to come back and just get a wee clap or whatever. I want to come back and do well and I want the fans to appreciate it and say, ‘Cadds is back, brilliant!’
"It’s about making an impact. That’s what’s driving me on, that’s what’s getting me through. Hopefully it’s third time lucky and if we get there this season, I can do it.”
‘It’s about the little wins’
We’re now halfway through September, meaning Cadden has endured 16 and a bit weeks of rehab, with more to come. He has tackled each stage head on, but learning to walk again was a significant step - literally.
“It has always been all about the little wins. Sitting in the physio’s room, I took the boot off for the first time, took that first step, and it was so nerve-wracking, the fear of taking that first step,” he said. “But you get there, and you get more comfortable with it. And you know what, I’ve been pretty fine generally. I’ve taken it in my stride and whenever I’ve done something it’s all about, ‘right; what’s next, what’s the next stage?’ It’s more my family members who haven’t been fine!
“Gav [Dempsey, Hibs’ lead physio] is good at taking videos to show my mum and dad and Caitlin but they get emotional! My dad saw me walking again for the first time and got proper teary. So, it’s been good for them to see me go through the stages. It’s been weird, having to learn to walk again. A very weird time. But it’s just about the little wins, isn’t it?”
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