Hearts have been dealt a huge blow after learning that key midfielder Cammy Devlin will be missing for around six to eight weeks with an ankle injury.
The Australian left the pitch in clear discomfort in stoppage time of Wednesday’s 2-0 win over St Mirren, with manager Derek McInnes saying afterwards: ‘I don’t think it looks good’.
It has now emerged that Devlin, who has started all of Hearts’ 22 league matches in their surge to the top of the Premiership, is set to be out until March.
The 27-year-old has been arguably the standout player in Scotland this season and his absence will leave a notable void in Derek McInnes’ midfield as the Jambos prepare for a potentially critical run of fixtures in their quest to win a first Scottish top-flight title since 1960.
News of Devlin’s lay-off casts a cloud over Hearts as they prepare to kick off their Scottish Cup campaign at home to Falkirk on Saturday night.
There has been some debate about how seriously the Jambos should treat the knockout competition given the fact they are six points clear in the league and have an opportunity to make history, but left-back Harry Milne is adamant they have the squad depth to compete on two fronts.
Hearts key midfielder Cammy Devlin will be sidelined with injury for up to eight weeks
‘We want to win everything we’re in,’ he said. ‘The goal was to win the League Cup. That never happened.
‘And now the goal is to make an impression in both the Scottish Cup and the league. Obviously, we are doing that in the league at the moment. And for the cup, it starts this weekend.
‘We were a bit disappointed with how we went out of the League Cup (after losing on penalties to St Mirren). We felt we could make an impression on the cups this year, I think that’s still the case.
‘We’re a good team. We’ve got a big squad that will have to be rotated, for sure. We’ve got a couple of suspensions, but I think we’ve got a squad to compete on two fronts, for sure.’
Milne was a surprise inclusion for the win over St Mirren after online rumours began circulating that he was out for the season with an ankle injury picked up in training ahead of the previous weekend’s win at Dundee.
Devlin was in clear pain after the 2-0 win over St Mirren at Tynecastle last Wednesday night
Manager Derek McInnes will now be without the Australian at a crucial time in the title race
‘Yeah, my partner kept showing me them,’ said Milne. ‘I was like, “that’s funny”. It was just objectively wrong.
‘I went to see a specialist on Monday. I had a bit of a problem with my ankle but he’s given me the green light to continue.
‘I think it’s a recurring issue from an injury that wasn’t flagged up before. So we’re kind of under the impression that if I was fine with it before, I’m fine with it now. Well, that’s what’s in my head anyway!
‘With the chance to continue in the work that we’re doing this year, I can’t turn that down. Obviously, I was delighted to be back out there on Wednesday. It was a magic night.’
Hearts will be without Devlin, Michael Steinwender, Stephen Kingsley, Oisin McEntee and Ageu, but goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow returns from suspension while Beni Baningime’s ban only applies to the league.
