Hearts preparing to welcome World Cup pair on trial

VALDAS Ivanauskas will welcome two World Cup participants as trialists to Riccarton on Monday as the Hearts head coach begins the countdown to the opening Champions League qualifier at the end of this month.

Even though only seven weeks have passed since Hearts lifted the Scottish Cup, the pace of pre-season has been relentless with three friendlies having already been staged at the club's training camp in Austria. With another friendly scheduled this afternoon at Preston North End, Ivanauskas is preparing his team for the start of a season which is sure to prove intense.

After their first Champions League qualifier against either Siroki Brijeg or Shakhtyor Solisorsk, Hearts kick-off the new league season against Dunfermline on 29 July. The following week they face the second leg of their Champions League adventure before facing Celtic at Tynecastle. It is a daunting prospect, made more so by the injury to key player Paul Hartley.

He is set to miss the start of the season due to a persistent groin injury, something which makes Ivanauskas' attempts to strengthen the side all the more pressing. Some Hearts fans have already expressed disquiet at what they perceive to be a lack of transfer activity ahead of what promises to be an intriguing season.

Although the Hearts squad is a big one, Ivanauskas wants it also to be a competitive one. He warned his players to expect to fight for their places during the coming months, with the Lithuanian intent on employing the notoriously unpopular rotation system. Of course, this was in evidence last season at Tynecastle too, but most obviously in the dug-out, where manager after manager seemed to be ushered in and then out again.

Ivanauskas is determined to be the one making the changes during the coming season, with Hearts involved in a series of different missions, from the league to Europe.

"The length of the new season and the quality of competition we are in means it will be necessary to have a big squad. Injuries are always possible, and in the long term I want a big, quality squad. And I stress quality."

Hence the arrival on Monday of two unnamed World Cup players, with Ivanauskas revealing only that the pair are European and one a defender and the other a midfielder. This appears to rule out the South Korean attacker Ahn Jung-hwan, who has been linked with Hearts throughout the summer.

Ivanauskas said he was still a possibility but added that the striking department was not a priority at present. "Starting from Monday there will be players coming who I hope will prove helpful," he said. "During the course of the training camp in Austria I identified the long-term potential weaknesses that need to be addressed. That's how I have concentrated my thoughts when it comes to bringing in new players. The pre-season has been very short, but the problem is that some of the players who have injuries are not recuperating as quickly as hoped."

The Portuguese trialist Tiago Costa will feature today against Preston, as might Georgia internationalist Giorgi Popkhadze, but the absence of new faces is beginning to concern fans who don't wish to see the hard work of last season come to nought courtesy of an early exit from Europe. Ivanauskas yesterday asserted he was not worried by the lack of action on the signing front, and expressed his faith in owner Vladimir Romanov's plans for the season ahead.

"Mr Romanov understands how serious the new season is," he said. "That players have not signed yet does not depend solely on finances. I want players who are not just one-season players. I want those who will be able to fit into the team for the long term. I don't suffer from pessimism. I know the situation, and I know everyone expects results.

"I have four or five options. I hope next week, starting from Monday, there will be two or three players coming in. I hope the guys are ready and fit. A lot of players are not fit after the World Cup and holidays and so they are not ready for the Champions League game. There were a lot of players in my sights but after holidays and only a week of training it has not yet been possible [to do anything]."

Edgar Jankauskas and Deividas Cesnauskis are missing the trip to Lancashire, as is Craig Gordon, who has a groin injury. But Robbbie Neilson professed himself up for the latest challenge in a pre-season that anticipates what could prove another exhilarating season for Hearts. Asked his thoughts on the prospect of a rotation system being introduced, Neilson was diplomatic: "It's such a big squad, and that's one way to try and keep all the players happy. Players want to play every week but you have to consider all the different competitions.

"It is certainly going to be a hectic start," he added. "But we've been having double training sessions out in Austria and we have come back very fit. We all took it very seriously.

"Last season was a roller-coaster ride," he continued. "This season I think we should still be thinking about challenging [for the title]."

Taken from the Scotsman