USA, Canada and Mexico may beckon for the Tynecastle defender

Hearts certainly don’t have any intention of relinquishing their position at the Scottish Premiership summit. A collective defiance is building at Tynecastle following injury and suspensions setbacks. Lawrence Shankland, Cammy Devlin and Beni Baningime may be out of Sunday’s top-of-the-table meeting with Celtic, but plenty others are fit and ready for another go at the reigning champions.

Hearts have beaten Celtic home and away already this season. A third victory would put them nine points clear of the Glasgow club with 15 league games remaining. It would be a significant advantage. Players are aware that outsiders will question their resolve after losing three of their most influential characters. They are determined to respond positively.

“We got the news early in the week, so we know the ones that are not going to be available. We have just got to park that to one side and just focus on the job we have in front of us,” said the Hearts defender Craig Halkett. “All the boys who are available have to get their minds on the game and try to train as well as we can.

“I don’t think you can say it has been the same 13 players who have played all season. The team has changed quite a lot and everyone who has come in has done a great job. It has been a collective effort, and it is just going to take a wee bit more of a collective effort over the next few weeks.”

While Baningime serves a two-game suspension, injuries to Devlin and Shankland will sideline them until March. “They are both great boys and integral parts of the squad. They are two of the main boys for getting everybody going, through the week and before a game,” explained Halkett. “Nothing has changed on that front. After training or in the gym they are still in about all the boys. There to help anyone.”

In the face of mounting adversity, the feeling within the walls of Riccarton is that Hearts can still pull off a historic Scottish league title win. “I think so. I have been in since the start of the season but for boys who maybe have not played as much as they want, it is a real chance to step up,” acknowledged Halkett, who is aware of the leadership void created by the absences. “There will be a lot of noise from the outside that we are losing key players but within the club we are looking to others to step up.

“Of course, we are going to miss them, but we can keep ticking over. I think we have boys who do do that. It is another opportunity for boys who maybe are not heard as much to express their personalities.”

The experienced centre-back is a prime candidate to take the captain’s armband from Shankland for the next few weeks “I’m not sure. We will see what happens. It has not been on my mind. It’s about trying to play well,” he said. “This is just another game we want to go and win. We know Celtic are always up challenging for the title so we know how difficult the game is going to be. The position we are in in the league is not something we look at.”

Celtic’s form picked up after Martin O’Neill returned for a second interim spell to replace Wilfried Nancy. O’Neill is the third Celtic manager Hearts will face this season, the other being Brendan Rodgers. “As everyone could see when Wilfried Nancy came in, they played in a totally different style. One that took them a while to get to grips with, if they ever did,” noted Halkett.

“With Martin coming in, they have looked a lot more solid. The number of goals that they conceded before he came in was high for their standard but they have sorted that out in the last couple of games. We have won the last couple of fixtures against them. There is no reason why we can’t do so again and make it a nine-point gap.

“For the boys who have been here for a few years, us being so high in the table may feel a little unnatural. For the boys in from abroad, they can just come in and ride with it. Hearts are on the top of the league and it is not the case that we should not be there. We are there on merit. It is just about trying to win every game.”

Celtic are likely to unleash new on-loan striker Tomas Cvancara on Hearts. Halkett is already studying footage of the Czech to familiarise himself with a different opponent. “The analysis guys here are brilliant and they will go through clips of their strikers through the week, what they are good at, what they are not good at,” he stated. “With a new player, you don’t have the benefit of having played against him before, but you still go through the same process of watching all his clips just to get a wee idea of how to play them. You still do it even for players you have played against numerous times to see if they have changed anything.”

Halkett’s own form has been almost faultless for Hearts this season. He is one of the main reasons they currently lead the Premiership. Inevitably, there are murmurs of international recognition. The World Cup is less than five months away so if there is a time to showcase your best self, it is now.

“It’s obviously something I would love to do but for me it is important I keep focusing on my performances for Hearts. If I can do as well as I can do and we will see what happens. As much as I would love to be involved [with Scotland], it is not really under my control,” said Halkett.