AS far as an international debut was concerned, things could not have gone better for Rudi Skacel.

Having waited patiently to win his first cap for the Czech Republic, the midfielder made the most of his opportunity by exploding onto the scene as a substitute to grab a goal in a 5-1 hammering of Canada in Teplice.

That was in November 2003 but nearly two years later he has yet to feature again for his country - a fact he hopes to rectify with the help of Hearts.

The 26-year-old became the first signing for George Burley, pictured below right, when he joined on a 12-month loan from Marseille yesterday following a medical in the Capital. And while he recognises that ousting the likes of the national icons Pavel Nedved or Vladimir Smicer from the Czech side represents an enormous challenge, Skacel is confident he can start pushing for a jersey again by playing a starring role in Gorgie.

"Hearts are a club with a great tradition and I am delighted to be here," he said. "I hope that signing for them will improve my international chances. If I can get a regular game here, play well and score some goals then why not?

"However, there is a lot of competition in the national side with guys like Nedved and Smicer in the team.

"But this is a good move for me and I am looking forward to doing well for the club."

Hearts beat off competition from a number of top European clubs to secure the services of the versatile midfielder, who was a regular for Panathinaikos in last season's Champions League.

The Greeks paid around £400,000 to take him on loan from Marseille where he had fallen out of favour under a new management team, although Panathinaikos subsequently turned down the chance to splash out £1million to make the move permanent.

Supporters are set to get their first glimpse of the man who helped his country triumph in the European Under-21 Championships in 2002 when he features in tonight's glamour friendly against Middlesbrough at Tynecastle.

The former Slavia Prague star, who turned 26 on Sunday, is, by his own admission, short of match fitness having last played a couple of months ago.

But he can't wait to run out tonight as he kicks off what he hopes will be another successful phase of his career. "I have been playing tennis and working out in the gym and feel very good," he said. "Every day my fitness is getting better, although it is always better to be playing games. The start of the league season is very close and hopefully I can continue to improve my fitness.

"It will be great if, as people are saying, there is a big crowd for tonight's match. I am hoping to play as I want this to be the start of something big for me here."

There will be no European football for the Jambos this season but having revelled in his Champions League involvement, Skacel is determined to taste further action on the Continent - with Hearts if possible.

That, of course, would mean him staying beyond the end of his loan agreement, a prospect both the player and his manager cautiously welcomed. "Last season I played in the Champions League. I want to play well for Hearts and would like to play in Europe with them," the midfielder said. "If things work out, why not stay for more than a year?"

Skacel is the first part of an intricate jigsaw which Burley is currently putting together at Tynecastle.

The new Hearts boss has been tailing the player for a year and insists his capture is a signal of intent by the Gorgie outfit.

"The last week or so has been a bit frustrating as we looked to strengthen the squad but I'm pleased to have signed Rudi," said Burley.

"He is versatile, being able to play at left-back, left midfield or central midfielder and is in the prime of his career. He was keen to come to Hearts, which was also important, and it's a real coup to get him

"He will be experiencing Scottish football for the first time but I wouldn't rule out a more permanent deal as far as Hearts are concerned."

Skacel prefers an attacking role from the middle of the park and Burley admitted the player's adaptability was a big factor in making him his first signing.

A number of other new faces are set to arrive as the SPL kick-off looms ever nearer and Burley said: "Rudi has a great left foot and is a strong lad. I feel it is important to have versatile players and we will use him accordingly.

"Since Vladimir Romanov took over, the club has said that one day we would like to challenge the Old Firm. We finished almost 40 points behind them last season. I have signed a two-year contract and at the end of that we'll be looking to be a lot closer.

"Signing Rudi shows the club's intent to close that gap. In the next week or so the momentum will build as we try to get more new blood into the team.

"Ideally I would like more time to do everything but that's not the reality of the situation.

"However, things are starting to happen now and hopefully we will not be too far off the six or seven new faces we need by the start of the season."

Chief executive Phil Anderton said Skacel fitted perfectly into the mould of player being sought by the club as Romanov's revolution clicks into overdrive.

He said: "Just as we did in looking for a new manager, we set out the criteria we're looking for. We need people who have played at the highest level and who will fit into the nucleus of the team which is Craig Gordon, Steven Pressley, Andy Webster and Paul Hartley.

"Mr Romanov and the board have made it clear that this is not a one-year 'let's go out and buy success' kind of thing.

"It's about building. Amid all the hype about challenging the Old Firm, we all recognise that it's going to take a number of years before we can do that seriously.

"The short-term objective is to narrow what is a significant gap but we have got to have the players and Rudi is an example of the calibre of player we want to bring to the club."

Taken from the Scotsman