Trialists on way as Valdas steps up Euro preparations

TWO new trialists are set to arrive at Riccarton on Monday as Hearts step up their Champions League preparations.

Head coach Valdas Ivanauskas has pinpointed the two European World Cup players - one a defender and the other a midfielder - as he looks to bolster his squad with the first European tie now just 12 days away.

Following the training trip to Austria, Ivanauskas has identified the areas in his side which need strengthening prior to the clash with either Shathtyor Soligorsk or Siroki Brejig at Murrayfield.

He said: "On Monday more players will be coming in on trial as we look to build up our squad for the season. We will take a look at them and see how they fit in.

"The length of the new season and the number of competitions which we are playing in will mean that we will need a big squad."

Ivanauskas revealed that he has concrete signing targets in mind and one of those he is still interested in is South Korean striker Ahn Jung-hwan. However, according to the head coach his signing is not "a big necessity" at the moment.

"While we were in Austria it gave me a chance to discover the possible weaknesses that my team may have and that is why more players will be brought in to raise competition.

"The players we have here already have been working hard in the build-up to the season and I am pleased with the way things went both in France and in Austria," the Lithuanian, whose side were due to take on Preston at Deepdale this afternoon, stated.

Pre-season may have been hailed as a success by the 39-year-old but he is concerned about the injuries which have been picked up with the season looming.

Talismanic midfielder Paul Hartley is currently nursing a groin injury with the club not likely to rush him back to action too soon while fellow midfielder Nerijus Barasa pulled his hamstring during the last game in Austria against FC Cluj and faces several weeks on the sidelines.

"The problem now is that some players have injuries and this is not ideal but we are looking for players who can fit into the team and [majority shareholder] Mr Romanov is aware of this."

Any player that is brought in over the next few weeks is likely to be at Tynecastle in the long-term with the head coach keen to continue building stability ahead of a season which will see the club battling for silverware on four fronts.

With the prospect of Hearts playing over 50 matches during the course of the campaign, Ivanauskas looks set to use a rotation system to keep all the players fresh.

He explained: "Rotation is a good thing and there will be some rotation over the season. In order to be able to rotate players we need quality throughout the squad so when one good player comes out of the side another will step in.

"I know players do not always like missing games but over the season it will be good for us."

Meanwhile, Robbie Neilson feels the players will adapt to any squad rotation which may be implemented over the coming months. The right back said: "Obviously as a player you want to play every game but we have a really big squad here and we have to use that to our advantage.

"With a lot of games to be played at the start of the season if guys are not in the team one match then it means they will be raring to go next time out."

Taken from the Scotsman