Hibernian forward Kieron Bowie will undergo a scan on Thursday to reveal the extent of the hamstring injury he suffered on international duty with Scotland Under-21s. 

The 21-year-old played the first 56 minutes on Friday as Scot Gemmill's side were narrowly beaten by their Spanish counterparts at Tynecastle, and kept his place for the trip to face Malta on Tuesday. But he limped out of the action after just 36 minutes at the Ta' Qali National Stadium, with Gemmill admitting it was 'very disappointing' as he branded it the 'only dampener' of a 5-0 victory that leaves the young Scots second in their qualifying group. 

Bowie, who has made four appearances off the bench for Hibs since signing in a £600,000 move from Fulham, scoring once in the 2-2 draw with Dundee, hadn't played since April when he made his debut in the 2-0 home defeat by Celtic, and David Gray admitted he was wary of taking risks with the former Raith Rovers youngster.

Speaking to the Evening News last month the Easter Road head coach said: "Kieron is coming back from a bad hamstring injury at the back end of last season, so he hasn’t played much football - even though he’s done all his rehab.

“There is always a temptation to play these players, especially when they’re feeling good and wanting to make an impact. That’s what he did at the weekend, came off the bench and impacted the game [against Dundee]. 

“There is still that balance to make sure you’re not taking a risk that we’ll regret a week or two down the line. Especially when we’re very close to getting players to where they need to be.”

Gray will be boosted by the availability of Élie Youan and fellow winger Junior Hoilett for the first time this season after both players recovered from injuries sustained during the summer. Hoilett and Youan both got minutes in a victory over Dundee United in a bounce game last week and are expected to be part of the squad for Saturday's match against St Johnstone. 

But Hibs now face an anxious wait to learn for how long Bowie may be missing. With Dylan Vente on loan at PEC Zwolle for the season, Gray only has one out-and-out centre-forward available in Mykola Kukharevych - and with under-18s striker Josh Landers currently sidelined with a broken arm, the onus may be on the likes of Martin Boyle, Harry McKirdy, Élie Youan or even Josh Campbell to step up in Bowie's absence. 

Sporting director Malky Mackay confirmed after the transfer window had closed that Hibs would be keeping a close eye on the free-agent market for any potential new recruits - and depending on the outcome of Bowie's scan, those efforts may be increased if the club's hierarchy feels the squad would benefit from another traditional number nine.

He said: "There are players finding themselves out of work not just in September, but in October and November as well who will raise eyebrows about what their career used to be. We will look at it to see who is still out there, but it has got to be right for the club. We are not going to bring someone in just to top up their pension. We will make sure that the person who comes in absolutely makes a difference to our football club."