Exclusive:Hearts burnout plan and sleeping advice as Neil Critchley has a 'quiet word'

Hearts coaching staff are confident of avoiding burnout with Scotland call-ups James Wilson and Adam Forrester despite increasing demands on the teenagers. Riccarton management plan to strike a balance between continued development and overuse as the two academy graduates continue to flourish in senior football.

Striker Wilson, 18, was named in the Scotland squad this week and will become the youngest international player in the country’s history if he features in any of the Nations League play-off ties against Greece. Defender Forrester, 19, received his first ever Scotland call-up when he made the Under-21 squad for friendlies against Republic of Ireland and Iceland.

Both players cemented themselves in Hearts’ first team this season, although they will not be overplayed. Forrester was left out of the team for the recent Edinburgh derby against Hibs, while Wilson was a substitute in last week’s Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Dundee. Hearts head coach Neil Critchley, a former youth coach at Liverpool and Crewe Alexandra, explained how the two youngsters will be nurtured carefully going forward.

“Adam, you could say, was slightly unfortunate to come out of the team for the derby, but managing young players is something that I'd like to think I've got experience of,” Critchley told the Edinburgh News. “You see them in training and read some of the signs, and sometimes you have to dip them in and dip them out.

“It's the first season in senior football for James and Adam. It's very difficult for them to go game after game after game, not just physically, but emotionally as well. We just felt that was the right thing to do last week, and hopefully Adam has felt the benefit of that on Friday.

“Like I say, it's their first season in senior football and they've played a lot of minutes and lots of games. All that emotional fatigue and physical fatigue can add up. Their bodies have never been asked to do some of the things that they're doing now and their minds will be working overtime. Because of the concentration levels that are required for them at the moment, they'll be playing in their head a lot. The more we expose them to that, and the more experience they get, the better they will become. They have been fantastic so far this season.”

Aberdeen, Middlesbrough and Torino forwards competing with Wilson for Greece chance

Critchley offered Wilson useful advice after informing him of the unexpected Scotland recognition on Tuesday morning. Hearts sporting director Graeme Jones passed the news on to Critchley before training. “Graeme came into the office before training and said James was going to be in the squad,” explained the manager. “We had a team meeting and I kept James behind afterwards to tell him privately, which was a really nice moment. He was obviously shocked but you could see what it meant to him and the excitement in his face.

“It's great recognition for him and I'm really proud of him, as the club are. He should be very proud of himself and I'm sure his parents are, too. He is one of four strikers and these are important games for Scotland, so he's got a chance. Firstly, he has to go there and make in impression in training. I had a little quiet word with him about first impressions but he's a level-headed boy and I'm sure he will go and make a big impression on and off the pitch.

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“If called upon, whether it's to start or come off the bench, I'm confident he can do well. I told James to make sure he sets his clock, his watch and phone 10 minutes early so he isn't late for any meetings. Make sure he doesn't oversleep in the morning or anything like that. He needs to be punctual, on time and make sure he creates the right impression around the camp.”

Wilson will have 42-year-old Tynecastle team-mate Craig Gordon for company in the Scotland squad. “That will definitely help,” acknowledged Critchley. “You are talking two ends of the spectrum there with the age difference, which won't have happened too many times. It will definitely help James to see a familiar face there. If he's got any issues or needs to speak to someone if he's unsure of anything, at least he will have a friendly face in Craig.”

Torino’s Ché Adams, Middlesbrough’s Tommy Conway and the on-loan Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet are the other three forwards in the Scotland squad alongside Wilson. Critchley is convinced that the teenager, despite obvious inexperience, can offer something rare for national coach Steve Clarke.

“James is a little bit different in how he plays the game,” explained Critchley. “He is a No.9 who has fantastic timing of movement on the last line. He wants to run behind opponents. He has an instinct for that, which is something very rare and hard to coach. It's a little bit out of the norm nowadays. With a lot of strikers, wide players or young players, you say: 'Where do you want to play?' And they all say: 'No.10.' That's getting the ball and receiving it to feet.

“Jamesy can do that because he's got good link-up ability, a good touch, awareness and brings people into the game well for a young boy. But he has an instinct for running in behind, running towards the goal, and good movement inside the penalty box. That will only get better with maturity and experience. He is quite unique with the attributes he's got for a young player. Now we need to make sure we harness that in the right direction and keep his feet on the ground, which I'm sure we will. He has a real thirst for learning and wants to improve.

“I've only been here a few months and you are always a beneficiary of the work that goes on before you, so his call-up is a credit to the academy. People at the club deserve far more credit than me because they have worked with him for longer, know him and developed him. We want to be a club that promotes our own players and gives talent an opportunity. We want them to develop, play for Hearts and hopefully progress into the national team like James has done.”

Ross County game in Scottish Premiership huge for Hearts’ European aims

Before international fortnight, Hearts play Ross County at Tynecastle on Saturday in another important Premiership fixture. Victory could propel the Edinburgh club into the top six and enhance their chances of qualifying for Europe. They reached the Scottish Cup semi-finals with last week’s win over Dundee.

“We've been speaking about that,” said Critchley. “We had the Scottish Cup last weekend and then the draw on Monday so you talk about that, but you need to move forward. That's not until April so you put it to bed. We've got four big league games until the split and that starts with Ross County on Saturday. They are in good form with a few wins against good opponents recently. We know we are in for a tough game so we have to be really focused and make sure we are at it. We want to keep our own good form going. The opportunities to pick up points and make sure we are in the top six are decreasing for us so it's an important game.”

The two teams last met in Dingwall in December, when Hearts led 2-0 courtesy of Wilson’s double entering stoppage-time at the end of the match. They then conceded goals on 97 and 99 minutes to draw 2-2. “You learn from some games - how teams set-up and how they played against us before. There have been a lot of games since we last played County and a lot has happened,” Critchley pointed out. “We're a different proposition since that game. We actually played well until about the 95th minute and should have won the game.

“It wasn't a nice experience but sometimes those things help you to grow. I think we've grown since then and become better. You have to try to take a positive from any moment and I think we did that as a group. We have moved on and I'm sure Saturday will be a different game.”

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