Exclusive:Hearts assess four players ahead of huge Motherwell match - Tynecastle side 'addicted' after Rangers win

Four Hearts players will be assessed closely by medical staff this week ahead of Saturday’s vital Premiership match at Motherwell. The Edinburgh club are almost within touching distance of a first top-flight title win for 66 years, sitting three points clear of Celtic with three games remaining. The first of those is at Fir Park and there are some fitness concerns following Monday’s inspired 2-1 win over Rangers.

Defender Stephen Kingsley, who scored the equaliser and set up Lawrence Shankland’s winning goal in the match, was substituted in the final minutes due to cramp. Striker Claudio Braga was forced off earlier with a similar issue, but head coach Derek McInnes is confident that both players will be ready to face Motherwell.

There is less certainty over midfielder Cammy Devlin and full-back Harry Milne. Devlin has been missing since 11 April due to a muscle strain, while Milne’s calf/ankle issue has sidelined him since 14 March. Neither player is yet back in full training at Riccarton. They are doing running and ballwork at the moment but will not be ready for the trip to Fir Park unless they can take part in full training sessions without any reaction.

McInnes spoke to the Edinburgh News to confirm that Kingsley and Braga were not taken off early against Rangers because of any serious issue. “They’re alright. Braga was just cramp and Kingsley something similar,” said the manager. “We took Kingsley off at Hibs last week because he isn’t long back from injury and we are mindful of that and he had been booked as well. Braga has played a lot of minutes throughout the season and [Landry] Kabore was a good sub for us at the time on Monday.”

McInnes admitted his players cannot get enough of the winning feeling after the joyous scenes against Rangers. “There is an understanding from me at this stage of the season that players aren’t always going to be at their best,” he added.

“It’s been a rigorous campaign, there have been big demands, some players have played more than others, many of them are new and coming from different countries. Underneath it all, there is a spirit and a drive to keep winning. They are addicted to winning. They keep going and just want to win. That’s never a bad trait for a team.”

When asked about Devlin and Milne, McInnes explained that both players are progressing. “Both of them are stepping up their running,” he said. “They did some ballwork and passing drills on Monday, so hopefully there is no reaction to that and then we can step it up as the week progresses. Both of them are big players for us and it would be great if we can get both of them back for the Motherwell match. Even if it’s to give us something from the bench, or maybe they could play. We will see how things pan out over the next few days.”