Hearts ace to begin ‘ramping up’ injury comeback bid as positive update sent
Jambos star has been on the sidelines since May
Hearts defender Craig Halkett is ‘ramping up’ his injury comeback bid after hearing some positive news from a specialist.
The 31-year old has been out of action since May 9 after rupturing his achilles during a 1-1 draw with Motherwell, ruling him out for the last two games of last season and the start of the current campaign. However, he has now revealed his long-term rehabilitation process is on track and going ‘really well’.
The positive injury update comes at a welcome time for the Jambos, with the club captain being one of 11 players currently in the treatment room. Fellow defender Stephen Kingsley became the latest casualty in Hearts’ midweek 3-1 Conference League defeat to FC Thun.
Halkett ‘ramping up’ recovery as positive injury update issued
Halkett was on TNT Sports punditry duties for their trip to Switzerland on Thursday. When asked the status of his recovery, the captain responded: “It’s going really well, thanks. I’ve been back running for the past two or three weeks.”
The Scotsman, who’s made 171 appearances for the club since signing from Livingston in 2019, is hoping to be match-fit by January and is now doing everything in his power to make this possible, as his recovery enters the latter stages. He continued: “I actually had a scan and an appointment with a specialist this morning, and he gave me really good news. In the next few days, I’ll get the boots back on, and it’s time to start ramping it up.”
Vrancken on Falkirk test
Manager Wouter Vrancken is once again forced to navigate Hearts’ injury issues in Sunday’s Premiership clash with Falkirk. However, in front of a packed-house at Tynecastle, he’s hoping his side can find their spark again after just two wins in eight. The match will be the Jambos’ last ahead of the international break.
He said: “It’s always a big game to play. But now, we lost Kings (Kingsley). So we have to see what we have and see how we will do it. Be there with strong belief to go into this game. Luckily it's at Tynecastle, so we have the support from the fans for a full stadium. Hopefully this gives us extra energy to finish with a good game in this run of games and towards the break.”