Terry Butcher, the Hibernian manager, is optimistic that he will be able to select on-loan Sunderland winger Duncan Watmore for the Edinburgh derby on Saturday.
The 20-year-old was left out of the squad for the defeat by St Johnstone last weekend after aggravating a foot injury.
Watmore had picked up the injury initially in a William Hill Scottish Cup match with Raith Rovers - his performance that say still enough to prompt Butcher to compare the winger to ate Celtic great Jimmy Johnstone. It is little wonder that the Hibs manager is eager to have his young compatriot available for the trip to Tynecastle on Sunday.
The match could be made more significant for the visitors - who will be without Paul Hanlon due to a knee injury already - as they will be able to relegate Hearts from the SPFL Premiership should St Mirren avoid defeat tomorrow. The Paisley side face Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Butcher is hopeful that Watmore will be recover in time to play his part in the occasion. "Duncan took a whack on the site of the original injury," said the Hibs manager. "It was sore but he wanted to play [in Perth], but the best thing was to leave him out.
"He wants to sample that derby-day atmosphere, having heard all about it from the other players, and he has a good chance. The injury has settled down a bit.
"Duncan does cause teams problems - he can go past people and take the ball into the heart of the opposition's defence. He's probably being targeted by other teams. They're looking to quickly close him down, not just with one or two players but three and four at times."
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