Daniel Stendel speaks on Hearts future amid coronavirus chaos

Daniel Stendel insists he is relaxed about his Hearts future as the Edinburgh club wait to discover which league they will play in next season.

The German coach is free to leave if Hearts are relegated from the Ladbrokes Premiership, but he has been planning ahead with the hope of remaining in the top flight.

The Scottish Professional Football League have the power to call an end to the current season and relegate Hearts to the Championship.

League officials are due to meet Scotland's sports minister, Joe Fitzpatrick, on Tuesday to discuss how and when football might resume.

That may have a bearing on whether the SPFL decide to finish the 2019/20 campaign now based on average points per game.

Stendel is monitoring events from afar at home in Germany and said his ultimate priority is family health.

"At the moment, I am relaxed about this situation because I cannot change things," he said. "We are all still waiting to see what happens. I would not accept that Hearts will be relegated but we cannot change it.

"The other side is when we can start to play again, but health is the most important thing right now. I am healthy and my family are healthy. For me, this is the biggest thing at the moment."

The Hearts owner Ann Budge is leading a league reconstruction task force alongside Hamilton's vice-chair Les Gray.

In the event of her team being demoted, a move to expand the Premiership could save Hearts and ensure Stendel stays on in Scotland for next season.