BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sort
HIBERNIAN’S injury crisis has deepened after goalkeeper Ofir Marciano was ruled out until 2017.
The Israeli internationalist, who boasts eight clean sheets in 13 appearances since joining on loan from FC Ashdod, has been plagued by a persistent knee complaint and will undergo surgery next Monday.
Lennon expects to have the big keeper back in a matter of weeks, rather than months, however he will be sidelined for the remainder of December.
He then faces a race against time to be fit for the crunch visit of title rivals Dundee United on January 6.
Lennon confirmed: “Ofir is going to be out for a few weeks now as he is due to have an operation on Monday. It is a meniscus problem on his knee and we have already spoken to his parent club.
“He needs a tidy up because it is progressively getting worse.
“Ross Laidlaw has done well in every game that he has played. He is a very competent back-up goalkeeper and he will fill in for the time being unless we decide to make a change.
“We will not be bringing in a new goalkeeper because Ofir’s injury is short term and hopefully he will only be out until the end of the month. We will just run with the two that we have have at the minute.”
