After losing 11 goals in their last two games and seeing the gap at the bottom of the SPFL increase following their 4-1 defeat to Dundee United last weekend, Hearts were dealt another blow with the news that midfielder come striker Ryan Stevenson has suffered a hamstring injury and could be out for six weeks.
Stevenson has struggled in recent weeks with this injury but he had to succumb to the inevitable after only 15 minutes at Tannadice on Saturday – and the Hearts officials immediately feared the worst. The former Ayr United and Ipswich Town player is one of the more experienced Hearts players and his absence is the last thing manager Gary Locke wanted.
“It’s a massive blow for us and for Ryan,” Locke told the Hearts official website. “He pulled up during against United so we decided to send him for a scan to get to the bottom of it. We had a niggling feeling that it was something serious and that was confirmed when the results came back.
“There’s a tear on his hamstring so he’ll miss the next four to six weeks, which is less than ideal. It’s a shame for Ryan as he’s not long returned from a long spell out. One good thing though is that the lad is a quick healer, so hopefully he gets a bit of rest and then we can manage his return.”
Hearts are already without another midfielder, Jason Holt, because of injury. He isn’t expected back until February.
Hearts face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the SPFL at Tynecastle this Saturday, kick-off 3.00pm.
Author of The Team for Me - 50 Years of Following Hearts. Runs Mind Generating Success, a successful therapy practice in Edinburgh. Contact me if you want rid of any unwanted habits. Twitter @Mike1874
