Exclusive: Peter Haring opens up on concussion nightmare as Hearts ace aims to make up for 'frustrating' season

Unfortunately for such a popular player, during his time with Hearts Peter Haring has had to get used to sitting on the sidelines not knowing when he'll be able to return to action.

After playing in the 2019 Scottish Cup final against Celtic, the midfielder didn't appear again until the group stages of the League Cup over 16 months later. His expected date of return just kept getting pushed further and further into the distance as a pelvic problem continued to flare up. In the time between the club were relegated from the top flight of Scottish football in highly contentious and controversial circumstances and there was a worldwide pandemic locking fans out of football grounds.

Thankfully, things aren't that extreme this time around, both in terms of the individual and the wider context, but it's still been a difficult time over recent weeks for a footballer who still doesn't know yet when he can return to action.

Haring was not long on as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Aberdeen in mid-October when he had a nasty collision with Marley Watkins. Haring was knocked out cold and suffered a concussion. Safety protocols mean players who are diagnosed with the brain injury have to sit out between one to two weeks, but almost two months later Haring is still unable to return to first-team action, even in friendly matches, as symptoms continue to linger.

Peter Haring is back in training but not yet ready to play in any games for Hearts. Picture: SNS

"I've seen the footage loads of times now, so I'm not sure if I'm just remembering what I've seen or what happened, but there was definitely a time where I was passed out and I didn't remember that. I didn't expect to be out for that long but unfortunately that's just the way it is now," he told the Evening News on the final day of Hearts' winter training camp in Spain.

"It's been better over the break. I would say I've recovered well. But then I go into training – running is always fine – but in training it's a bit different. I still have mild symptoms when I'm doing full-on training, so obviously that's not great. It's why I haven't played in any of the friendlies yet, which is obviously a bit disappointing, but hopefully it'll be better soon.

"It's obviously very frustrating. Over the break I've recovered. I got my head away from football for a bit, felt totally fine and ready to kick on again when we came back. I felt fine running but then going into the football stuff was a bit different and I had a reaction.

"The most frustrating thing is that there's not really any exercises or gym work or anything you can do to make it better, you just have to sit back and wait for it to pass. But saying that, I'm trying to do as much as I can not to lose any more fitness and keep those levels high. That's also not easy but fingers crossed it'll be better soon."

Peter Haring receives treatment after being knocked out during Hearts' 2-0 defeat to Aberdeen in October. Picture: SNS

Failing to recover from an ankle, knee or, indeed, a pelvic injury within the typical time frame is a bit troubling in itself, but this is a brain injury. Wouldn’t it be natural to get a bit frightened?

"It was a bit scary at the start the first time I tried to come back. But we've done all the scans and I've been speaking to a neurologist as well,” said Haring assuredly.

"It's all fine, it's just that some concussions take a wee bit longer. Some players are out for months with a concussion so it's just the way things are sometimes. It's disappointing but I'm not overly worried yet."

It's the latest setback in what's been a difficult season for Haring so far. He was arguably the club's most consistent performer in the second half of the last campaign and a big reason Hearts didn't particularly miss Beni Baningime after he went down with a knee injury which ended his season. It meant that Haring was rewarded with a new one-year deal at the end of a lengthy negotiation process. He started this season strongly enough with a fine performance in the 1-1 draw away to Hibs, but struggles in European matches saw him pushed down the pecking order.

Peter Haring, like many of his team-mates, competed in European football for the first time this season. Picture: SNS

"Yeah it's been frustrating a bit this season. It's been tough because of the number of games it was hard to get a real run in the team," he said.

"It was, for many of us, the first time competing in Europe. Every one of us, including myself, learned a lot from that, playing so many games, back-to-back, and competing against some really top teams. From that point of view it was good, but I'd have loved to have played more. And then missing the games before the break with the head injury was frustrating as well.

"I'm really looking forward to the second half of the season."

While Baningime has remained on the sidelines and isn't expected back until into the new year, there has still be an increase in competition with Jorge Grant, Orestis Kiomourtzoglou and Robert Snodgrass all centre-midfielders having arrived at the club over the summer months and into September, further restricting Haring's opportunities. But having been at Tynecastle since 2018, he knows the script at a club the size of this one.

"There is plenty of competition in midfield but we knew that coming into the season," he said. "With the number of games we've had you do need more bodies, especially with the amount of injuries we've had. Playing for a top team you have to compete. That's just how football works."

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