Hearts' elephant in the room needing addressed

Many attacking responsibilities are falling on the shoulders of one man

The 54 goals Lawrence Shankland has scored in 83 Hearts appearances put him among a pantheon of Tynecastle greats including Rudi Skacel, John Robertson and Jimmy Wardhaugh. His record is the work of modern-day legend, such that he is still idolised by supporters despite hitherto refusing to sign a contract extension with their club.

No-one influences this Hearts team the way Shankland does. With 15 goals in his last 14 matches, he is the embodiment of a talisman who lives to ripple rigging. That instinct, that intuitive understanding of football, is only learned through experience at the age of 28. Were a wheel to fall from a jumbo jet in the skies above Gorgie, you suspect Shankland would arrive to volley it into the net before it hit the ground.

His presence alone brings people together, his attributes allowing so many factions of the side to thrive. Shankland is far more than just the man with the captain's armband who leads the players out, but are Hearts relying too heavily on him? He showed admirable composure to score their equaliser from the penalty spot against Hibs on Wednesday and generally shouldered a large portion of their attacking responsibilities.

When longer balls were dispatched from defence, he was expected to be a physical presence and wrestle with the Hibs centre-backs Will Fish and Rocky Bushiri for possession. On the ground, he had to drop deep to link play with midfielders. He was also required to create chances for others, such as flicks and through balls for Kenneth Vargas and Alan Forrest. Then he was required to provide a clinical edge inside the penalty area. Not forgetting that fact he was often back defending and clearing balls at set-plays.

These scenarios have played out regularly in matches this season and last. Is there an overreliance on Shankland at Hearts, and is that issue an elephant in the room? It seems obvious that he could use more help. Not with scoring goals as nobody could come close to his finishing capabilities, but with other tasks beyond the role of a typical centre-forward.

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Liam Boyce's absence through injury denies Hearts a natural link man between midfield and attack, allied to his ability to hold off physical defenders. The experienced Northern Irishman would take some of the strain presently borne by Shankland. Midfielders getting forward to support their No.9, and on occasions running beyond him, would also ease some pressure. As would wingers creating and scoring more chances.

Forrest enjoyed a fairly productive winter and is certainly able to aid Shankland. Vargas is also contributing and taking more responsibility. Five goals in his last 11 outings indicate improvement, although at 21 he is very much still developing. Statistics show that the Costa Rican, with six goals from 33 appearances altogether this season, is the second-top scorer at Tynecastle behind Shankland. That gap needs to close, just like the one on the field between midfielders and centre-forward.

No-one should overlook the fact that Hearts have been good for Shankland as much as he has been good for them. He arrived in summer 2022 following an uninspired spell with Beerschot in Belgium and has evolved into an all-round striker with regular game time in his favoured position, allowing him to improve every bit of his game.

The prospect of him moving on this summer remains realistic, especially if he features for Scotland at the European Championship. Which begs the intriguing question of how Hearts might fare without him. The mere thought may send a chill down the spine of those who idolise him. A replacement would be signed, obviously, but scouting an equally-predatory goalscorer for the kind of six-figure transfer fee likely to be available will be virtually impossible.

Hearts should not be considered a one-man team, far from it, given how others stepped up to the mark to build the current 12-point advantage in third place in the Premiership table. Nonetheless, it is not unfair to expect more runners, more support and more assistance for Shankland with third spot and the Scottish Cup still to play for in the weeks ahead.