More to come

HEARTS concluded the loan of Marius Zaliukas from FBK Kaunas last night, with head coach Valdas Ivanauskas admitting his side could welcome two more new recruits before the August 31 signing deadline.

Tiago Gomes, a 20-year-old left-back from Benfica, is on Hearts' radar as they strive to negotiate a season-long loan with the Portuguese club, whilst Ivanauskas also claims to have the option of signing another player who could supplement his midfield.

He said: "Zaliukas has signed on loan and he gives us options because he can play defensive midfield and also centre-back. It's important that our players can play different positions in the team.

"We have the chance to sign two more players so it's certainly possible that others could arrive. We are waiting to hear whether these transfers can go ahead as they are not 100 per cent yet. The end of the month is just over two weeks away but these two players are options for us.

"We are talking right now with their clubs and maybe it will take more time, but they know we are interested."

Zaliukas, who has two caps for Lithuania, was due to play in a specially-arranged friendly against Gretna this afternoon. The match was principally organised for the club to assess the readiness of midfielder Paul Hartley as he recovers from a groin problem, but Zaliukas and recent Chilean signing Mauricio Pinilla are also expected to feature in a fixture that will take place behind closed doors.

"If there is no reaction from his groin after the game, then Hartley has a big chance to play against Rangers on Saturday," continued Ivanauskas.

"I am very, very happy with that and I hope he has no recurrence of the injury.

"Pinilla is doing much better now. He has been training with us every day and he's looking good. I will look at him for maybe 45 minutes against Gretna, provided our doctor and physios say it's okay or him to play."

Pinilla is the least likely of the three to feature at Ibrox this weekend as he gradually acclimatises to the Scottish game.

Assistant coach John McGlynn admitted: "It's difficult to say but he might need more than part of a bounce game to be ready for a match of that magnitude, especially since he hasn't done a pre-season. You would expect a player normally to need two or three games to get up to speed. It's different with the likes of Paul Hartley because we know all about him and what he can give us."

Meanwhile, in a possible loan move out of Tynecastle, teenage striker Calum Elliot could be in line to join Motherwell for the rest of the season.

The Evening News revealed last week that Ivanauskas was content to let Elliot continue his development elsewhere in Scotland, with Dunfermline and Gretna having registered an interest in the player.

Motherwell have also joined the race and Elliot may depart for Fir Park next week after returning from Hearts' Champions League third qualifying round second leg in Athens.

Taken from the Scotsman