HIBERNIAN ace Martin Boyle has transformed his SHED into a makeshift gym. 

Boyle, 27, has been furloughed by the capital club amid the coronavirus shut-down but is determined to stay in shape in case the call comes to resume training at short notice. 

That has forced the Australia internationalist to get inventive - calling on the generosity of his local gym and creating a rustic workout space. 

The need to carry out strength and conditioning work is doubly important in the Boyle household, with his wife, Rachel, also an elite athlete with Hibs and Scotland. 

And Boyle said: “We’ve been running outside and my local gym has given us a spin bike, some weighted plates, body vests and battle ropes. 

“So we cleared out the shed and are making the most of that! 

“We are trying to stay as fit as possible, which can be tough sometimes, but it’s what needs to be done. 

“All the boys [at Hibs] are staying as professional as they can, when it comes to eating correctly and working out at the right times to maintain that level of fitness.

“But in terms of actually touching the ball, I’ve only been able to that in the back garden. We are making the best of a bad situation.”

Meanwhile, Boyle is adamant he emerged from the injury nightmares of 2019 a more complete player. 

The Australia internationalist saw his hopes of competing in the Asian Cup last January cruelly dashed when he tore the lateral meniscus in his knee and was forced to fly home for surgery. 

Boyle spent seven months on the sidelines before suffering an almost identical injury in just his third fixture back in the Hibs team - an otherwise unremarkable Betfred Cup victory against Elgin City. 

However, Boyle hit the ground running when he returned to action in October and his displays were so impressive that Celtic were seriously interested in making a move for the Hibs flyer in January. 

And Boyle believes he will look back on the agonising set-backs of last year as a blessing in disguise after using his rehabilitation time to improve tactically and physically. 

He said: “We have a few people at Hibs who have been through long-term injuries and the message was: if you out everything into your rehab then you’ll come out of it stronger and a better player. 

“I think I have learned a lot about the game. Being injured, you watch all the games and give more thought to what positions you might take up on the park to get on the ball more. 

“I’ve learned a lot and developed a bit more upper body strength and bulked up.

“Every day won’t be happy-go-lucky but you need to get through the rehab - but I feel like I came out of it better and back to playing my best football.”