Australia winger Martin Boyle has undergone surgery on his injured knee and will miss the rest of the Scottish Premiership season.
Boyle was ruled out of the World Cup in a devastating blow for Graham Arnold's Socceroos, who were hammered 4-1 by France in their tournament opener.
The influential 29-year-old travelled to Qatar in a desperate bid to feature for Australia despite suffering suspected meniscus damage during Hibernian's league meeting with St Mirren in late October.
Further scans revealed a pre-existing ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, which required surgery and will sideline Boyle for months.
"It has been a tough few weeks for Martin and we are all gutted for him," Hibernian manager Lee Johnson said.
"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."
Boyle was unable to train with the Socceroos squad before being ruled out of the World Cup just days before the France clash.
He was replaced in the squad by Melbourne City winger Marco Tilio.
"That is probably the hardest thing, the devastating thing, he has been so important ... and has probably been one of our best players right through the whole campaign," Arnold told reporters on Sunday.
"It's devastating news for Martin and the family."
