'Big blow' as Socceroos star ruled out for season

Socceroos hopeful Martin Boyle's month has gone from bad to worse, with news that he suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

Boyle was initially named in Australia's 26-man squad for Qatar and would likely have been in the starting XI, but was withdrawn with a knee issue days before the tournament.

However, his club Hibernian have now revealed that the issue was much worse than first feared – and scans have revealed that what was suspected to be a meniscus issue was superseded by a pre-existing ACL tear.

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Boyle has had surgery in Qatar and has begun rehab for the 2023-24 campaign.

"It has been a tough few weeks for Martin and we are all gutted for him," Hibs manager Lee Johnson said.

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"Now, it's up to us to rally around him and make sure we support him on every level throughout his recovery.

"Short term – it is a big blow for us, but we will do everything we can to support Martin to make sure he comes back fitter, stronger and a better player than before, just like Kevin Nisbet has shown in his recovery."

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