Hearts boss Craig Levein has provided an injury update with pros and cons following the Jambos’ derby success.
Goals from Uche Ikpeazu and Aaron Hickey secured a 2-1 comeback win for Levein’s men over Hibs. It lifts the pressure on the Tynecastle boss ever so slightly and puts them in eighth place.
In the aftermath of this win, Levein has provided a fitness update on some of his injured stars.
He told Edinburgh Live: “It’ll be about two or three weeks I think before he’s (Naismith) back. We decided to take him back out training completely just to let the whole thing settle down.
“Peter Haring was there on Sunday and he’s back in the fold and will be back training. It won’t be long before he’s back.
“Jamie Walker’s getting better and won’t be long either. Naisy will be a couple of weeks, Ben Garuccio’s getting better and John Souttar’s improving as well.”
Plenty of positives on the injury front for Hearts but Naismith remains a concern
It’s great for Levein that he’ll be able to introduce Haring sooner rather than later. He is an integral part of the Jambos engine room, both defensively and attacking wise, so he’ll be glad to have him back.
Walker’s pace is a threat out on the right whilst Garuccio provides suitable cover in the full-back positions.
John Souttar is arguably the club’s best defender, and with Christophe Berra looking unconvincing for the most part this term, his return will be a welcome one.
The one big concern is Naismith. He is the Jambos’ talisman, netting 14 goals last season despite missing many games with injury. They’ve struggled for a regular source of goals in his absence.
Overall it’s great news for Levein that many of his key Hearts squad members are getting back to full health. As time goes on though, he’ll be getting more and more concerned about Naismith in the long run.