Former Hibs player Gary Deegan is facing an extended time out of football after being diagnosed with blood poisoning.
Deegan, who spent the 2012-13 season at Easter Road , required three operations in the space of ten days in hospital.
The midfielder helped Hibs reach the Scottish Cup final in 2013 after arriving from Coventry City, scoring a fantastic winning goal in the fifth round win over Aberdeen.
He was also the victim of an assault while in Edinburgh and suffered a broken jaw following an unprovoked attack in the city centre .
The injury left him only able to eat soup for around five weeks.
Now at Cambridge United under ex-Hibs boss Colin Calderwood, Deegan could face a lengthy recovery time before he’s deemed fit to return to action.
“Gary’s got a serious condition,” said Calderwood. ““He’s been in hospital and he’s really been through the mill.
"From a personal point of view, with his wife being pregnant and him in a hospital, it's tough.
“He’s had a form of blood poisoning and needed three operations, so it’s a real blow to him.
“Fortunately the docs did really well and we got to the problem although it took a while to find out what it was.
“We hope he’s beginning to mend, but it might be a long time before we get him back out on the field.”
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