Derek McInnes is preparing the Premiership leaders for Tannadice

Hearts management are debating what role Oisin McEntee, Eduardo Ageu and Islam Chesnokov should play in Saturday’s Premiership match against Dundee United. Midfielders McEntee and Ageu are fit again after groin and hamstring injuries respectively, and McEntee in particular is a contender to start the game at Tannadice Park. Recent signing Chesnokov has been working on personal fitness for the last two weeks and it remains to be seen if he is involved.

McEntee and Ageu returned to the Hearts squad against Celtic last week ahead of schedule. The Irishman was sidelined for a month but replaced Tomas Magnusson after 71 minutes to deliver a strong and competitive performance during the final stages of the 2-2 draw. Brazilian Ageu has not played since the 1-1 draw with United on 9 November. He remained an unused substitute, but the Edinburgh club’s record signing will play his part over the coming weeks.

Dundee United’s size and physicality are on the mind of Hearts head coach Derek McInnes ahead of this weekend’s meeting. That could convince him to play 6ft 3in McEntee from the start in midfield. New loan signing Marc Leonard, who enjoyed an encouraging debut against Celtic, is likely to keep his place. Beni Baningime will serve the second of a two-game ban, while Cammy Devlin is out injured.

“Oisin is another week on with training. It was good to bring him on against Celtic,” McInnes told the Edinburgh News. “He has been a big player for us this season so it's great to have him back, and great for him to put himself forward for the Celtic game ahead of schedule. The physio department did well with Oisin to get him in that frame of mind. I was delighted with that.

“With Ageu, we are just trying to be understanding of the situation. He has been out a long time so we are trying to get him up to speed again, like we are with Chesnokov. We would like them both to get to a stage where they are ready to start games. Having these guys on the training pitch every day obviously brings that extra quality. We just want to get to a point where they can have a meaningful impact in the first team for us. We had 20 or 21 outfield players training the other day, which is good numbers despite some injuries to key players.”

Captain Lawrence Shankland, defenders Stephen Kingsley and Christian Borchgrevink are also on Hearts’ injury list alongside Devlin. Midfielders Calem Nieuwenhof and Finlay Pollock are long-term injury victims. United proved tough opponents for the Tynecastle side earlier this season. Stuart Findlay’s stoppage-time winner earned the visitors three points at Tannadice in August before November’s draw in Edinburgh.

McInnes acknowledged the difficulty of the weekend task as Hearts look to increase their four-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Premiership table. “Last-minute winners are really dramatic and exciting. You see that with the supporters at the end last time we played at Tannadice,” he said. “When we analysed the performance, we felt we were good in the game.

“That was the opposite of the game at Tynecastle when we gave them too much encouragement. I didn't think we played well enough. I felt partly to blame for that with the first-half set-up. Both games between us and United have been very tight. I thought we deserved to win up there and I didn't think we deserved any more than we got at Tynecastle.

“United can be difficult opponents. A lot has been made of Jim's recruitment and I think he has recruited well. He obviously recruits from far and wide, as seems to be the norm now with a lot of clubs. They will be looking to push on in the second half of the season and they have certainly got the capability to do that. I watched them at Livingston a couple of weeks ago, and Paul and Alan have also watched them recently. We know they are a tough opponent.”