Hearts face a dilemma over Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin.
Scotland striker and Australian midfielder are expected to return from injury.
Watching Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin huddle behind the Hearts dugout for the past two months has been irritating and exasperating.
Fans, coaches, and teammates all wanted the club captain and small midfielder on the pitch to help the title challenge. Finally, the pair are back in action after hamstring and ankle ailments, respectively.
Shankland and Devlin are due to train this week and should be available to play against Dundee on Saturday.
There will be no more jokes and giggles as we sit together in those large bench coats, and no more jumping around like fans celebrating scores.
It’s time to get back into it. With only eight games remaining in the Premiership season, Hearts might benefit greatly from the return of two of their most prominent players.
Claudio Braga has worked valiantly to limit Shankland’s absence from the forward line.
Marc Leonard and Tomas Magnusson have helped to alleviate Devlin’s loss in midfield.
Nonetheless, no club in Scotland could ignore the impact of two key players leaving the team in three painful days in January. The wait for their homecoming feels much longer than two months.
Devlin injured his ankle against St Mirren on January 14, and Shankland’s hamstring ruptured three days later against Falkirk in the Scottish Cup.
In the meanwhile, Hearts have maintained their position as league leaders, owing to other players filling in for them. Still, head coach Derek McInnes will be tempted to put both players back in the starting lineup this weekend.
If you include Falkirk’s defeat on penalties in that cup tie, the total rises to four. In fact, Hearts have only lost one league game with Shankland in the squad, against Hibs at Easter Road in December.
He missed November’s defeat against Aberdeen due to a calf injury. The numbers speak for themselves, highlighting the significance of both the Scottish striker and the Australian internationalist.
Shankland had 15 goals and four assists from 26 appearances in maroon this season, while Devlin’s tenacious displays established him as Scotland’s top midfielder before to injury.
McInnes, along with instructors Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald, find themselves in a pickle.Shankland and Devlin will be understandably short on match practice in the weeks following a lack of competitive football.
Play them from the start against Dundee, and they could last an hour or more. Keep them on the substitutes’ bench, and they could make an impact in the second half. Much will depend on each player’s specific circumstances.
Devlin has been somewhat ahead of Shankland in his recuperation timetable and may therefore have a better chance of making the team. Shankland was not named to the Scotland squad by Steve Clarke yesterday, possibly to minimise any additional danger following a hamstring injury.
If there is any doubt about either player, they will not be pushed back into action. Hearts understand the importance of the next eight games of the season as they strive for a historic league title victory.
Simply seeing their names on the squad list, and possibly the teamsheet, will motivate teammates and management. Fans are also eager to see two such legendary figures return to the side.
The weekend setback at Rugby Park left Hearts and their supporters disappointed as their Premiership advantage was cut to two points. Shankland and Devlin may well be the remedy to the misery.
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