Hibernian head coach David Gray has confirmed that captain Joe Newell is back in contention for the visit of Motherwell as he gave a squad update during his pre-match press conference.

The 31-year-old missed the 2-0 victory over St Johnstone and the 1-0 defeat against Rangers at Ibrox but has returned to training and gives the Easter Road boss another option in midfield.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Scottish Premiership clash with the in-form Steelmen, the Easter Road boss admitted he had something of a selection headache with virtually all his players fit and available. 

Boyle latest

Martin Boyle, who was left out of the Australia squad by new Socceroos boss Tony Popovic, is a doubt for the weekend as he continues his recovery from surgery on his arm. 

"Martin hasn't trained at all. He's had the operation on his wrist, it all went well, and he's getting back and progressing all the time. But, he's not played or trained since the last Australia camp so it's no real surprise that he's not been selected this time," Gray explained. 

"He's getting better all the time; he's still developing. We're not going to take a risk on him falling or anything like that but I fully expect him to be back in days, rather than weeks."

Newell update

Newell could get gametime after sitting out the previous two games but Gray has insisted he won't rush players back from even the slightest of knocks. 

"Joe is back in contention for the weekend; he's trained all week which is great for him. Nicky Cadden is the same; Luke Amos was carrying a knock as well but we've had a strong training week. Every single day we monitor them and manage it because they've not participated in every single aspect of [training] and it's just been every day working out, and how they recover after that and we'll see where we are for Saturday," he added. 

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While Gray is glad to have his captain back available, he insisted he wants the task of picking a starting XI and substitutes to be a challenge.

"When you look at the players who didn't play at the weekend, those who would be disappointed not to be involved, or those who came off the bench like Dylan Levitt and Nathan Moriah-Welsh, we've got competition everywhere," he continued. 

"I've said that for a number of weeks now, that it's a headache I want to have. But it's also really healthy for the squad: as long as everyone is pushing in the right direction and is together, it creates a really competitive atmosphere."

Praise for Kwon - and a message for other players

Gray also had praise for Kwon Hyeok-kyu, who earned his first-ever call-up to the Korea Republic squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq.

"He's been excellent. It's exactly what we expected from him; he did really well on loan last season [at St Mirren] and you can see him getting stronger and fitter. The way we're training, the way we work and he's starting to get the idea of what we want him to do. I think he's done really well and that's credit to the squad and the club for him going and getting that international recognition. 

"A club like this gives players who haven't had a call-up the chance if they are performing on the big stage, like at Ibrox last weekend for example, to get that opportunity to try to push into the international team. We've seen many players who haven't had caps come here and go on to do just that."