Hearts’ record signing Ageu misses Rangers trip.
Hearts will be without record signing Eduardo Ageu for Saturday’s game against Rangers, and the Brazilian midfielder may be a doubt for the Edinburgh derby against Hibernian on October 4 at Tynecastle.
The 23-year-old has a hamstring injury, and defender Frankie Kent, 29, will miss the Scottish Premiership trip to Ibrox after twisting his knee, which has been scanned.
Ageu made his Livingston debut as a second-half replacement after a seven-figure move from Portuguese club Santa Clara late last month.
“He won’t be part of anything for the next couple of games,” head coach Derek McInnes stated of Ageu.
“The only advantage for him and Frankie is that the games are spaced out over the next term.
“I’m disappointed for both of them. We believe Ageu offers something unique. He will still have the opportunity to impact the team, but it will not be immediate.
“At this stage, we probably wouldn’t rule him out of the Hibs game but we rule him out for Rangers and Falkirk.” Falkirk will go to Hearts on September 27th, before the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle the following month.
On a more positive note, McInnes is pleased about the potential of adding new German custodian Alexander Schwolow to his squad to give competition and support for Zander Clark.
The Hearts manager stated that 42-year-old Scotland custodian Craig Gordon is also preparing for his first appearance since May 3rd, having recovered from a shoulder injury.
“Alexander’s looked great coming in, he’s added real strength,” he told me. “Big Craig and him have worked extremely well while Zander has been away with the national squad.
“Having Craig back is critical, and we felt compelled to bring in another custodian, most likely because we weren’t sure about Craig’s injuries when we first signed Alexander. “I’ll need to speak with Craig.
He has undoubtedly trained well in the last week to ten days, but he has come a long way. “He doesn’t look like a custodian at this minute who’s struggling to find his way.”
‘Players have to feel confident’ at Ibrox
Hearts travel to Glasgow level on points with Premiership leaders Celtic, having collected 10 out of a possible 12.
Rangers have failed to win a league game this season, following four consecutive draws.
“It’s only a strong start,” McInnes remarked. “Like most teams, no squad will be as good as they aspire to be at this point; everyone is still establishing their footing.” We should prepare for a tough game.
We must recognise that unless we play well, we will not get anything from the game. Rangers, despite a rocky start, have some talented players.
There has been significant investment in the team.
“I’m confident. The players must be confident. I expect us to be really competitive. I expect us to do well enough to attain our goal.”
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