Hearts boss on star’s return and striker’s Scotland belief.
Craig Gordon’s most recent injury may have been his most complex. Ryan Fulton replaced the Heart of Midlothian legend in May’s 3-0 win against Motherwell.
Initial indications were that it would be a brief absence owing to a shoulder problem caused by a trapped nerve.
Fast forward four months, and he has only recently returned, coming on as a half-time replacement in a win over Dunfermline Athletic. Because of the unique nature of the situation, Hearts has taken a wait-and-see approach to it.
He was able to train with the first squad last week and advanced to the bounce game on Wednesday, making several spectacular saves.
“I think Craig feels as if he’s taken a step forward in the last week in the conversation I had with him, which is good,” McInnes told me.
“I believe for a guy his age, he will know his body better than anyone. So, if he feels ready to ramp up his work, that will suffice for us. “It’s lovely to see him and glad to have him back.
It’ll be nice for him to get some consecutive days of training with the squad, ideally, and then just establish that rhythm that every player needs.
“He’s been out a long time, hopefully it’s a bit of encouragement for him and us.” In the grand scope of Gordon’s career, this is not one of his longer stints on the bench. He has demonstrated the ability to return repeatedly.
“You don’t have the career that he’s had without having a determination and a motivation,” according to McInne. “I mean, he has a lot of natural abilities and aptitude, but so many people have talked about who Craig is.
He’s undoubtedly the best custodian of our time. “So, I don’t think motivation or resolve will be enough to stop him. Hopefully, he finds good fortune and can stay fit for both us and Scotland.”
Meanwhile, McInnes claimed that he spoke with Scotland manager Steve Clarke about Zander Clark, and Lawrence Shankland was not mentioned.
However, the Hearts manager believes that his striker’s goals and club performances will help him re-enter the national team.
“I think if Lawrence has the season he’s capable of, I think he’ll be there or thereabouts,” the coach added. “I think Lawrence believes that.
“We have some strikers who are performing well right now, and we already have a few of proven strikers in the group.
“Players like Lawrence and others, when you have a World Cup potentially at the end of the season, it’s big motivation to do well at your own motivation, as well as what he’s got to achieve here at Hearts.
“You’ll probably need to ask Lawrence that the next time he’s here, but I think there might have been a wee part of him and a wee part of me thinking he might have got into it, but when Steve spoke to me, it was only to talk about Zander really.”
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