Andrés Salazar and Liam Boyce told how to deal with their Hearts situation
Both players are out of favour at the moment
Andrés Salazar and Liam Boyce have been given some encouragement in their fight for game time at Hearts. Head coach Neil Critchley has told both players not to lose faith as they will get a chance to prove themselves despite being left out of matchday squads.
Boyce and Salazar have been among the substitutes for Hearts’ European matches this season and could be on the bench again for Thursday’s UEFA Conference League tie against Cercle Brugge in Belgium. Domestically, Boyce has not made the squad for any of the last three league games, whilst Salazar’s only Hearts appearance to date was against Motherwell in August.
The Northern Irishman finds himself behind Lawrence Shankland, Kenneth Vargas, James Wilson and now Musa Drammeh in the queue for places in attack. Salazar, the Colombian left-back who arrived at Tynecastle Park in August on loan from Atletico Nacional, is competing with James Penrice and Stephen Kingsley for the left-back slot.
Critchley is sympathetic to the predicament both players find themselves in. Boyce needs games at the age of 33 and after missing most of last season with cruciate ligament damage. Salazar is eager to prove himself in Europe and convince Hearts to convert his loan into a permanent transfer.
Speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News, Critchley explained the situation and what the two men must do. "We have Kingsley on the bench and he can play left-back or left centre-back. Sometimes there is just a tactical reason for choosing people on the bench,” he said in respect of Salazar. “Andrés is in the same situation as other players that, when you're not in the squad, you have to keep training well, be patient, work hard, and that opportunity might arise at some point. Musa is a good example of that.
“Andres knows the situation. It's not been easy for him since he came to the club. He had a game against Motherwell and now he just has to be patient and keep training well. We played a game behind closed doors recently against Dundee and he did well in that game. All he can do is keep working hard and control the controllables.
“That's the most difficult part of my job. I have to leave players out of the squad. I have to say Boycie, who has been out of the squad, his reaction to that and his training have been fantastic. He is a really good guy and a good professional. Again, he just needs to keep concentrating on his training, be patient and wait for his opportunity.”