Celtic and Rangers made to sweat as Hearts handed double injury boost for Aberdeen
Hearts have been handed a double injury boost ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash with Aberdeen in 10 days time, with Derek McInnes’ side looking to beat Celtic and Rangers to a first Jambos title since 1960.
The Edinburgh side head into the weekend’s clash against Falkirk with one eye firmly on what follows, and the news coming out of Riccarton this week could not be better timed.
McInnes’ men remain top of the table, but the past month has been a testing one off the pitch, with the Tynecastle squad stretched thin by a cluster of significant injuries.
The title race is still very much alive, and with Celtic and Rangers both lurking within touching distance, every point – and every player – counts.
McInnes has been forced to shuffle his deck repeatedly in recent weeks, with key men missing from his engine room and no obvious like-for-like replacements waiting in the wings.
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The gap at the top has been slashed.
The head coach publicly admitted the squad was short in certain areas, and the pressure on those remaining available has been considerable. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Two important players are now edging closer to a return, with the home clash against Aberdeen on February 28 emerging as a genuine target for both.
Hearts gifted double injury boost as Devlin and McEntee eye Aberdeen return
One of the two, namely Cammy Devlin, has been out since mid-January after suffering an ankle injury in a collision during the win over St Mirren.
It was a cruel blow for a player who had been one of the standout performers, not just at Hearts, but arguably in the whole division.
His absence has been sorely felt. McInnes himself has spoken at length about the void left behind, and it showed in certain performances during the intervening weeks.
The player is said to be pushing hard to make Aberdeen, though the medical staff at Riccarton are being cautious.
The second man in question suffered a nerve-related shoulder problem just 12 minutes into last weekend’s 4-2 defeat at Rangers, with initial fears suggesting the worst.
Those fears have since been eased, with McInnes confirming in his pre-Falkirk press conference that Oisin McEntee could return to action against Aberdeen alongside Devlin.
Devlin, the Australian powerhouse who has been the heartbeat of this team all season, and McEntee, the Irishman who offers McInnes crucial cover and quality across the midfield and back line, could both be welcome returns for yet another crucial tie.
This was all confirmed by McInnes, with Rangers and Celtic both made to worry as the Jam Tarts slowly garner a full-strength squad again.
Getting both back available in time for the Aberdeen game would be a major lift.
Hearts are still two points clear at the summit, but with tricky fixtures also to come and Celtic possessing a game in hand, the squad depth needed to see this title race through is only now starting to reassemble itself.
If Devlin and McEntee can both return fit and sharp, McInnes will have far more to work with during what promises to be a defining run of fixtures.
Indeed, the Aberdeen game suddenly just got a lot more interesting.
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The title race is heating up…
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