He's very much regarded as the joker in the pack, full of mischief and always up for a laugh. But after a year in which he had little to smile about, Martin Boyle is again looking on the brighter side of life.
It’s fair to say things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Hibs player than they did in 2019, his world crashing down about him as a serious knee injury sustained while on international duty with Australia ruled him out of their defence of the Asian Cup and brought his season to a premature end.
Surgery was required but only three games into his comeback he broke down again, a further operation needed, putting him out of action for another three months.
Hibs to take on Eredivisie side Willem II in friendly at Spanish training camp
But now, as he trains with Jack Ross’s squad on the Costa del Sol, the 26-year-old is looking forward to the coming months, not only with the Easter Road club but on the international front with qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar well underway, followed by this summer’s Copa America which is being jointly hosted by Argentina and Colombia.
Given the potential rewards which lie ahead, there’s little wonder the grin is back on his face although he’s the first to admit the hard work which has seen him evolve from someone who was regarded as purely a “flying machine” to a more rounded player, a versatile individual who is proving his worth both at home and abroad.
“It’s been tough,” was his assessment of the first three days in Spain, where he and his team-mates are undergoing twice-daily training sessions.
“As good as the break was it’s good to be back. We can really reflect on what we have done in the first part of the season, talk about it and see what we can achieve in the second part of the season.
“We have been coming away on these winter breaks for the last few years. It’s good to get away, it’s warm weather but it’s hard work as well. We are not here for a jolly, we are here for hard work and that started when we arrived.”
And although he regards himself as being fully up to speed in terms of his fitness, the former Montrose and Dundee player insisted there’s still plenty for him to work on.
Scott Allan opens up on 'ideal' Jack Ross at Hibs and reveals his Scotland ambitions
He said: “As a player you can always go that extra mile and develop but I feel I am back to full fitness. But you can always get better and that’s what I am hoping to do, to get faster, stronger.
“I am still doing my daily rehabs for my knee and other bits and bobs on my body. But the other players are doing the exact same.
"They are keeping themselves ticking over. It’s about how much you want to progress yourself at the end of the day.
“I have always been one who is up for a laugh but at the same time when I cross that white line it comes down to hard work and how much you really want it.”
Those months spent on the treatment table and undergoing gruelling sessions in the gym undoubtedly gave Boyle plenty of time to ponder his bad luck but, he insisted, he’s never been one spend too much time looking at the downside.
Evolution and not revolution key to Jack Ross' methods, says Martin Boyle
“Obviously that was a hard one to take,” he said of the initial injury and the timing of it.
Support not only came from within Hibs East Mains training centre but from the other side of the world, Boyle revealing: “They were in touch weekly, physios were flying over to see me as well, and they were also contacting the club to see where I was at so they have been brilliant.
“They have been fantastic in getting me back and out playing."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here