David Gray says a major injury setback for Kieron Bowie has left the forward ‘gutted’, with the Hibs head coach unable to rule out the need for an operation.

Bowie, a £600,000 summer signing from Fulham, broke down on Scotland U-21 duty in midweek, and a subsequent scan revealed he will miss a minimum of four months’ action. Given the 21-year-old suffered a similar issue at the end of last season while on loan at Northampton Town, Hibs had been carefully managing his minutes since an August arrival, with each of his impressive four appearances so far coming from the bench.

For Scotland, however, he started two matches in four days, pulling up 37 minutes into a 5-0 European Championship qualifying win over Malta. Gray insists the entire club will now ‘rally around’ the youngster as he faces another gruelling recovery.

“It will be months rather than weeks, that’s for sure,” said the head coach. “He’s gutted, disappointed for obvious reasons. He’s worked so hard to get fit from last season, missing a bit of pre-season at the start. We were very conscious of that in managing his minutes. The temptation to play him more has certainly been there. Everyone who supports the club has seen how well he’s done coming on, effecting games.

“This will make it even harder for him, because he’s got that attitude where he just wants to play and press, work every day to be the best he can. It’s really important for us all to rally round him and make sure that he comes back feeling as good and strong as he can, as soon as he can.

Asked if Bowie may need to undergo an operation, Gray said: “We’ll need to get some more advice on that one because he’s injured his hamstring before. We’ll always do what we think is the best thing for him. And we’ll do everything we possibly can to get the right advice, the right treatment – and get him back as safely and quickly as possible.”

The setback is even more galling for Bowie given he’s already put in months of work to overcome that previous hamstring issue, and this recurrence essentially sends him back to square one. Gray admits that’s a worst-case scenario for any player, but revealed Bowie is remaining as upbeat as possible.

“As a player, it’s the last thing you want,” he said. “I’ve been there when you’re working hard in the gym, trying to get yourself back from a long-term injury, it breaks down or you have a set-back. All these players want to do is play football. They work hard to play games. So it makes it even more frustrating.

“But the one conversation I did have with Kieron on Thursday, which he was positive about, as much as he can be, was about only worrying about the things you can affect. He knows you can’t worry about the things you can’t affect, so there’s no point trying to second guess it.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. But we need to move his focus forward and get him back as quickly as we can. Do everything we possibly can, make sure he sees the right people, gets the right advice. I’m certain we’ll give him all the treatment all he needs her to come back stronger. And I’m sure he will come back stronger because of his attitude.”

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On a positive note for Gray, he confirmed the availability of Elie Youan and Junior Hoilett ahead of Saturday’s meeting with St Johnstone at Easter Road. Hoilett is yet to make his Hibs debut after sustaining an injury on Canada duty in June, while Youan hasn’t played since limping out of a 5-1 Premier Sports Cup win over Queen’s Park in July.

It’s been an especially testing summer for Youan, one which began with intense transfer speculation as clubs in France and Italy circled without meeting Hibs’ valuation. But as well as dealing with injury, Youan was also racially abused on social media last month, with police later arresting an individual in connection with the incident.

As the Frenchman prepares for a potential return to action, Gray says they’ve had multiple conversations, with the club putting their full support behind the player. Gray now believes Youan is in ‘a good place’, and emphasised he has his ‘100 per cent’ backing.

“Dealing with things off the pitch, the club have made it very clear and aware that it’s unacceptable and we’re always there to support all our players,” said Gray. “I’ve had numerous chats with him about it, and just life in general because there’s always been that speculation about him maybe moving, which he’s had to deal with. From how he played last season, he had a little bit of an injury at the end, trying to focus on what he wants to do and how he wants to get there.

“But he also just loves playing football. I can’t fault his effort and desire to be the best he can be. You see that during his rehab, he was back earlier than expected because of how good he is, professionally.

“He’s in a good place, he’s feeling good about himself. He’s enjoying training and is desperate to get back on the pitch. We just need to make sure we’re doing that at the right time.”