Barrie McKay set for a Hearts comeback this week against Premiership opposition

Hearts winger Barrie McKay is set to return from a knee injury in a closed-door game this week. A friendly match has been arranged against Dundee to give players from both sides game time during the international break, and McKay is poised to benefit.

He has made only seven appearances this season due to two separate knee complaints. The most recent was sustained at the end of December's Edinburgh derby against Hibs at Easter Road. The player is now recovered and ready to resume match action.

He and other Hearts players who missed matches with injuries lately will all get a runout against Dundee on Wednesday. "The game will be in the middle of the week," head coach Steven Naismith explained to the Edinburgh News. "This international break is slightly different to the rest of because we have 10 or 11 players away. That's more than we've had before but it's a positive.

"We have some lads just back on the pitch like McKay, Scott Fraser and Yutaro Oda. There are boys who could probably do with a good few minutes in the game, so it will be a bit different for each of them. Some people have played a lot of minutes and will probably need a bit more rest than others."

Striker Liam Boyce is not expected to be involved after surgery on his hamstring problem. Defender Craig Halkett has now seen a specialist about his knee issue, and Peter Haring is due for surgery on his knee.