By John Greechan

Copyright scotsman

Hibs boss David Gray has addressed his decision to hold record signing Thibault Klidje back from starting big games following his £1.5 million summer move to Easter Road. And he’s pointed out that the price tag on the Togo international needs to be measured against the “value” of players currently keeping him out of the first XI. Klidje has started just once in the league and once in the Premier Sports Cup since his big-money move from Swiss side Luzern in July, with the established front pairing of Scotland hopeful Kieron Bowie and Socceroos star Martin Boyle consistently given the nod for the toughest fixtures. Gray, pressed on the issue today, urged a patient approach with the 24-year-old, who scored against Livingston in the last 16 of the rebranded League Cup. “He’s physically ready to start again, yeah,” said the former club captain. “I think he’s done well when he’s came on. “I think, it’s like you’ve touched on his price tag, everything else, that’s just part of football and the way the football in the modern world is at the minute. You look at the competition that he’s got to try and get into our team, the value of what our players would be who are already in the building. That’s something you need to always consider as well. “And I think, as I said right at the start, he’s adapting to a new style, a different way of playing, different physicality within the league, but I think he’s doing well. He’s getting better all the time, which is really good. “I’ve been saying right from the start about being patient with him and see where he goes. He’s certainly improving all the time, which is a real positive for everybody.” Gray made four changes to his starting XI for Saturday’s Cup loss to Rangers at Ibrox. He is weighing up his options ahead of tomorrow night’s return to league business at Falkirk. Hibs have a chance to further establish themselves in third place in the Scottish Premiership ahead of another daunting run of fixtures. They head to Celtic Park on Saturday, then cross Edinburgh to face their city rivals at Tynecastle the following weekend. “I think it’s not a case of needing to rotate for freshness or anything like that at all,” he stressed. “It’s not as if we’re still in Europe and we’ve been going Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. “This is the first time for a few weeks that it’s the three-game week, but it’s not as if the players aren’t used to doing it. Physically, they’re all in a good place. “And thing you don’t want to do is keep chopping and changing all the time as well, introducing that little bit of inconsistency potentially with that. So a big part of it is just finding that balance all the time that we believe gives us the best chance to win the game. “And that’s what the team selection will be when we decide what we’re doing tomorrow night. It will all be geared up towards what we believe gives us the best chance.” Your next Hibs read: What David Gray told his players about ‘rising expectations’