Hearts boss' Peter Haring verdict after Austrian's first 90 minutes in 17 months

Robbie Neilson expects Peter Haring to become one of the first names on his team sheet after the Austrian played 90 minutes for the first time competitively since April 2019.

Peter Haring challenges Manny Duku during Hearts' 3-1 win over Raith.

The 27-year-old, who has been plagued by a persistent groin injury for more than a year, captained the Jambos to a 3-1 win over Raith Rovers in the Betfred Cup. It was the first time he had completed a match since a Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness on April 13 last year and his first start for 16 months. However, he put in assured performance at the heart of a back-three as he stepped up his comeback in style.

“I was really pleased with Peter Haring,” Neilson told the Evening News. “I think will add massively to the squad this year. I expect him, once he gets fully fit, to be one of the first names on the team sheet."

Neilson admitted that he wasn’t sure if the former SV Ried man would last the full game, revealing that they took the lead from Haring himself as the game wore on.

"The plan was to get to 45 minutes and see how he was, and then get to 60, then 75, and then every time he just said he wanted to keep playing,” added Neilson. “For us, there were no issues - it was more to see if his body was fine. It was all coming from him. The physios and the head of performance were delighted to keep him on.”

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