Skacel Czechs out of tour

WANT-AWAY Jambo Rudi Skacel was at Edinburgh Airport with his team-mates this morning - but he boarded a different flight.

As the players departed for their pre-season tour of Austria, Skacel who, unlike the others was not wearing club gear, boarded a flight to Prague instead.

It is understood, however, that he will have a meeting with club owner Vladimir Romanov this week in a bid to sort out his future.

Another Hearts player who sees his future elsewhere is Andy Webster, and the player did not arrive at the airport at all.

That was despite new head coach Valdas Ivanauskas declaring yesterday that he expected both Skacel and Webster to be on the flight to Austria this morning.

Webster's absence would seem to give confirmation that he has indeed invoked FIFA legislation which will allow him to free himself of his Hearts contract with 12 months left to run.

The Evening News understands that Webster went to Tynecastle immediately upon arriving back from France on Friday to collect the last of his belongings from the club and will soon embark upon a trip across Europe visiting several top-level sides, PSV Eindhoven amongst them.

Ivanauskas said today: "We have a good squad but quality players like Andy Webster and Rudi Skacel, every manager wants. I am no different. Andy is not here but that is not my decision. We have a good side but my opinion is it will need strengthened. We need more quality because the Champions League is high calibre, that competition is very important for the club, the players, for everybody."

Ivanauskas, in tandem with majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov, will look to recruit new players over the next month to supplement the Hearts squad before their initiation at the top level of European competition. He added: "We need three or four quality players. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. We are looking at all positions."

The Lithuanian also conceded that new faces may be introduced whilst the squad is abroad. "It's possible, yes," he said.

Taken from the Scotsman