Exclusive:Five Hearts players told where they stand ahead of transfer deadline
Derek McInnes describes the circumstances at Tynecastle.
Derek McInnes, the head coach of Hearts, has advised the five players who were left out of Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup opener match not to panic. They witnessed the 4-1 victory over Dunfermline from Tynecastle Park’s main stand, together with goalkeeper Harry Stone, defender Adam Forrester, midfielders Sander Kartum and Aidan Denholm, and forward Musa Drammeh.
All five players could still participate in competitive games in the upcoming weeks, McInnes emphasized, adding that he has no intention of forcing any of them out. The 23-year-old Stone and the 21-year-old Denholm are attracted to other clubs. The 20-year-old Forrester might possibly be sent out before the transfer window ends on September 1.
Thirty players make up McInnes’ first team, which includes returning Costa Rica winger Kenneth Vargas, who has played for his country in the Gold Cup. Although five players were left off the squad on Saturday, the Hearts squad will be altered for Tuesday’s second Premier Sports Cup group encounter against Hamilton Academical at Broadwood.
“On Saturday, players were left out of the squad, and they haven’t done anything particularly wrong,” McInnes told the Edinburgh News. “They have all truly put out quite strong efforts, but sometimes you have to let people down. Teams may not always have the luxury of changing when the going gets tough, especially at this point in the season, but we do have that luxury, so it’s crucial to try to take use of it.
Oisin McEntee, an Irish midfielder, started the game on Saturday at right-back. Christian Borchgrevink, a summer acquisition from Norway, came on as a substitute. It was Forrester who was left behind. “I believe there are many games to play; we’ll just have to wait and see.” Making snap judgments, in my opinion, is too hasty,” McInnes added. Because of the media, I believe Borch was brought here to attempt to play that position. On Saturday, we played huge Oisin there. We wanted to ensure that the level of physicality on the field was still sufficient.
Given that Dunfermline is a sizable club and we weren’t endowed with great size, we needed to make sure we had enough players. Thus, we attempted to use Oisin as a sort of full-back who could attack as a wing-back. But listen, Adam has done nothing wrong; in other words, he has done very well. No one really has, as they’ve all performed admirably.
Transfer interest and loan enquiries for Hearts players
“I like Adam; I liked him as a child. He’s vivacious, spiky, and has a little personality. He has put in a lot of effort, and so have Aidan, Sander, Musa, and giant Harry Stone. Although things might change rapidly, it can be difficult when you feel a million miles away from it.
Hearts is still debating whether to make a move for the midfield player, but Denholm has told them he wants to finish the preseason at Riccarton. Speaking to Denholm, McInnes affirms that other teams are interested in him but is happy to have him in the first team.
The manager said, “There has been a little bit of interest, but I don’t know yet.” We talked to Aidan. He wants to finish his preseason here, which includes the games that are coming up, so we’ll see. I have been talking to Aidan about the interest that two or three clubs have expressed. We don’t have any pressing tasks to complete this week. Aidan is content with the location, and I’m genuinely enjoying getting to know him. At this point, I don’t really want to push anyone out.
