Hearts got their first experience of their new Thursday-Sunday fixture schedule at Celtic Park at the end of August.
Manager Robbie Neilson made five changes to the side that started in Zurich three days prior, with Craig Gordon, Stephen Kingsley, Barrie McKay, and Cammy Devlin given some extra recovery ahead of the second leg at Tynecastle.
All things considered, Hearts’ much changed XI gave a good account of themselves, despite going down 2-0 in Glasgow’s East End.
That result and performance, in particular the second half, will give Neilson serious confidence that he can successfully rest players safe in the knowledge that if those replacements can perform well at Celtic Park, they can perform anywhere else in the league.
Having said that, Hearts still need more players. Craig Halkett’s injury early on in Switzerland shows that with just a couple of injuries to key players, Hearts could be caught short.
There is no doubt that Neilson and Hearts’ sporting director, Joe Savage, have been busy looking at potential signings to improve the side, however the difference between Hearts just now and the Hearts of old, is that they are willing to wait for these quality players to arrive on the market.
Neilson has explained before that he only wants to sign players who will improve the current crop at his disposal and confirmed that although many players have been put to him, he and Savage did not believe they would improve the team.
The latest name to be linked with a move to Tynecastle is Nottingham Forest winger Alex Mighten. It has been reported that talks had taken place between the clubs over a potential loan deal for the 20-year-old, who is under contract at The City Ground until 2025.
The Hearts boss has explained numerous times that he knows the areas he wants to fill, but with deadline day approaching, time is running out for Hearts to bulk up their squad.
