Hearts boss Robbie Neilson has been satisfied with Gary Mackay-Steven’s performances in his Tynecastle career so far, although he admits that it might take some more time until the player is at his best.
Mackay-Steven joined Hearts earlier this season after a spell playing in America. So far, he has played seven games for Hearts, and has yet to register a goal or an assist.
Not logical for player to make blistering start
However, Neilson thinks that the winger has performed well enough, and that it might take a while before his performances hit the heights that he is capable of reaching. The Hearts boss reckons that it wasn’t logical for the player to hit the ground running after he had spent weeks not playing football.
Gary Macaky-Steven joined Hearts in January (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
“Gary came in having not played since the start of December. He’d had weeks and weeks of absolutely nothing at all, so we can’t expect him to be absolutely on fire after a couple of games” he said.
“Has done alright”
“Some players take five games to get up to speed. Some take six or seven games. Gary has done alright. We all know there is more to come from him, we just need to be patient with him” the Hearts boss concluded.
Gary Mackay-Steven in action for former club Aberdeen (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
As Mackay-Steven has been a regular starter for Hearts recently, it seems likely that he will start against Inverness tomorrow night.
Perhaps that will be the game that sparks the former Celtic player’s Tynecastle career to life. Even if it doesn’t, Neilson doesn’t sound overtly concerned, and he seems confident that the player will be a success at Hearts.