Hearts take on Kilmarnock today with two changes to the side that lost to Copenhagen midweek.
They were both enforced with captain Lawrence Shankland suspended after racking up too many bookings and Frankie Kent having to go off early in that match with a serious looking injury.
He had just returned from a game and a half out with a problem with his quad and Hearts manager Neil Critchley revealed post-match that was where the issue lay again.
The fears were that it looked a lot worse this time round, adding to their injury woes with fellow Hearts defender Stephen Kingsley already out for possibly the rest of the season.
Ahead of the Killie clash, Critchley has now offered an update on Kent’s situation.
Frankie Kent Hearts injury update
BBC Scotland reporter Brian McLaughlin has suggested Kent may not be seen again this season but Critchley stopped short of confirming that.
He did reveal though that it is a ‘significant’ injury and the defender will be missing for quite some time.
The Jambos boss said: “No, he’s got a similar injury to Stephen Kingsley but in his quad not his hamstring. So it’s a significant injury which is a big blow, obviously.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 7 |  DundeeDundee | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 29 | -2 | 19 |
| 8 |  HibernianHibernian | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 29 | -8 | 15 |
| 9 |  Ross CountyRoss County | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 33 | -20 | 15 |
| 10 |  ST JohnstoneST Johnstone | 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 20 | 32 | -12 | 14 |
| 11 |  KilmarnockKilmarnock | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 34 | -17 | 14 |
| 12 |  Heart Of MidlothianHeart Of Midlothian | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 25 | -7 | 13 |
“And he’s facing a lengthy period on the sidelines. I would say months, definitely.
“He still needs to go and see a specialist to decide whether we’ll operate on him.
“He’s been outstanding since I’ve been here, a big personality. He’s a good guy to have around the dressing room.
“We’ll miss him but it’s an opportunity for someone else now.”
Hearts to focus on defensive recruitment
The Tynecastle club are looking to do business in the January transfer window to add quality in certain areas to their unbalanced squad.
It has been confirmed Hearts will be looking to sign a striker with the help of Jamestown Analytics after doing a deal with the data firm.
They are also looking to add defensive cover and that is now exacerbated by the Kent injury.
Asked about that, Critchley added: “Yeah, I would have thought so.
“That would be obvious I think if you looked at our squad then that is an area of the pitch we would need to look to strengthen.”