HIBERNIAN manager Mixu Paatelainen last night reassured fans he is closing in on new signings. The Easter Road club have brought in just one fresh face this summer, right-back David van Zanten from St Mirren, as the SPL kick-off grows ever closer on 9 August.
After the Intertoto Cup exit to Swedish side IF Elfsborg last weekend and a goalless draw in a friendly at Raith Rovers on Tuesday night, Hibs have yet to score or win in pre-season and some fans are growing uneasy.
But Paatelainen assessed three
trialists at Stark's Park and insists he is in negotiations with new recruits.
Joe Keenan, the ex-Chelsea midfielder, has impressed, while a goalkeeper, thought to be a New Zealander, and an unnamed French defender also played in Kirkcaldy.
Mixu said: "We are working very hard on the signing front. We are in negotiations with players and hopefully we can make some announcements soon."
He added of the trialists at Raith: "Joe is a good footballer, a very, very good player. He put in a lot of effort and made passes.
"The keeper made some good saves, came off his line well and I felt his distribution was okay. "The defender I felt was very solid. He did excellently, you can see he is a quality player."
Meanwhile, Paatelainen has confirmed goalkeeper Yves Ma-Kalambay will miss the start of the season after he was named in Belgium's Olympic squad.
Hibs defender Kevin McCann last night revealed his desire to impress his manager almost cost him up to 18 months on the sidelines. The 20-year-old made an assured comeback from injury against Raith Rovers to lift his spirits after a frustrating period of rest.
McCann was plagued by chronic patella tendonitis in his right knee from the turn of the year, but sought to play on to stay in Paatelainen's plans after he succeeded John Collins.
The right-back only managed a handful of games but was back in the Finn's side for the 0-0 Premier League draw at home to Rangers on 4 May.
However, the youngster was unable to even walk days later and the seriousness of the injury only struck him when a top specialist warned he was just weeks from a complete rupture.
An injection and complete rest over the summer appears to have cured the problem, meaning McCann is thanking his lucky stars he is not facing months out of action.
He said: "It happened around Christmas time and I just tried to put it off, but it gradually got worse. I was getting pain all the time, especially when I made wee sharp movements. Every time I struck through the ball, it was as if somebody was sticking a knife in my knee.
"I tried just to get through it with the change of manager around Christmas. I wanted to try and keep my place. But after the Rangers game, I couldn't move, it was too sore.
"At the end of the season, I knew I had to get something done and I was glad of the stage we got it at.
"The consultant said if I'd kept on going for another month or two, I could have had a complete rupture and been out for about a year to a year-and-a-half trying to rebuild it.
"I didn't realise that it was that serious. It was stage three of the problem and stage four was a complete rupture
"Looking back, it would have been more sensible to ask for a rest. I was being a bit naive trying to keep my place. It did me no favours."
McCann is trailing behind his team-mates in terms of fitness but was one of Hibs' few highlights in the lacklustre draw in Kirkcaldy. Now he is eager to hold-off competition from new signing van Zanten to keep his place this term.
He added: "It wasn't the best of games, but good for me to get 90 minutes.
"Owen Hargreaves at Manchester United had the same injury last season and I've worked with the physio to do the kind of exercises he did.
"I'm trying to build up my knee to make it stronger so it doesn't happen again. I've got confidence in my ability I can get a place in the team."
The full article contains 732 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
