HIBS star Ryan Porteous has stepped up his recovery from injury ahead of the capital club beginning pre-season training next week.
Porteous, 20, suffered devastating knee damage in January which ended his campaign prematurely and forced the Scotland under-21 internationalist to undergo surgery.
However, the centre-half has made excellent progress during his rehabilitation and resumed running for the first time this week.
Boss Paul Heckingbottom is hopeful Porteous will be fit enough to take part in full training with the rest of the Hibs squad when they report for duty on June 20.
Porteous notched three goals in 18 appearances last term prior to being sidelined, with his emergence as a first-team regular rewarded in October when he signed a new contract until the summer of 2023.
Hibs also expect Australia internationalist Martin Boyle, another key player who suffered a serious knee injury in January, to be ready for action when pre-season training begins.
