Exclusive: Hearts to replace Craig Halkett as Derek McInnes looks at a couple of positions

By Gbam Godwin Last updated Nov 21, 2025

Exclusive: Hearts to replace Craig Halkett as Derek McInnes looks at a couple of positions.

The Scottish Premiership match against Aberdeen is on Sunday. Frankie Kent might make his first Hearts debut in nearly three months against Aberdeen this Sunday.

The English centre-back is vying to replace the banned Craig Halkett as the Edinburgh side looks to maintain their unblemished start in the William Hill Premiership. Kent’s last outing was against Livingston on August 30, following which he injured his knee ligaments and had surgery.

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He is now fit to play and is vying for a starting spot against Pittodrie, as is Austrian Michael Steinwender. Halkett will suffer a one-game suspension after receiving six yellow cards this season.

“Frankie has been training, so he’s an obvious choice,” Hearts head coach Derek McInnes told the Edinburgh News. “There are other choices available, such as Michael and Jamie McCart, so we have solid depth when dealing with suspensions.

Halkett’s suspension came a little earlier than we had intended, but it is something you have to deal with throughout the season. It’s an opportunity for someone else, so hopefully we choose the proper option.

We have a few options to choose from.” Hearts rested some players over the last ten days, while others conducted extra conditioning work to stay as sharp as possible.

Hearts are anxious to maintain their winning streak against Aberdeen after defeating Rangers 2-0 at Ibrox in their first encounter back from the international break in September, and then winning 3-0 at Kilmarnock after the international fortnight in October.

“We haven’t done much different than what we did before,” stated McInnes, who noted that the absences of Halkett and the injured Beni Baningime have left gaps for others to cover. “Players get a small incentive of a few days off since we strive to incentivise that.

We completed some work over the course of a few days, with some tasks requiring more effort. The men who have played a lot of games are in good shape, so they gain more from the rest.

Then there’s another group of players we need to make sure are doing adequate work. We have to strike the appropriate balance with that, as we did during the previous international break.

“We have always returned from international breaks with great results. Hopefully it will be the same this time around. It is a long season.

November, December, and January are extremely busy months, so this was the last chance to give the players some time off.

With Beni’s injury and Halkett’s suspension, we need to evaluate a handful of positions ahead of Sunday’s encounter. Ageu has got extra ten days of training, which will not harm him.”

McInnes, a former Aberdeen manager, is aware of how difficult Pittodrie can be for away teams. However, Jimmy Thelin’s side has only won once at home all season. Hearts’ last victory away to Aberdeen came over nine years ago.

“You can see the investment in their roster; they have a large squad full of talented players and possibilities. “That will help them meet European demands,” McInnes added.

“This is one where we should try to assault the game and impose ourselves. We understand that it would be difficult, and there are guys who can cause us difficulties.

This fixture typically favours the home team, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change that. “We’ve already won at Ibrox this season and gotten results at other difficult away sites.

Pittodrie is unquestionably a difficult place to play, regardless of Aberdeen’s form. They’ve improved recently, and they’ll be buoyed by their [UEFA Conference League] victory over Larnaca and at Rugby Park.

.We need to be conscious of their capabilities, but we also want them to be aware of ours.

“There is a sense of dissatisfaction and annoyance that we didn’t make the most of the last game against Dundee United, which we drew 1-1. We have to accept and move on from that.

When that happens, all you want to do is win your next game and reclaim two points you believe you’ve lost.