Exclusive:Hearts explain Frankie Kent's fitness ahead of Aberdeen trip in the Scottish Premiership

Frankie Kent is expected to be fit and ready for Hearts’ Premiership trip to Aberdeen after two and a half months out injured. The giant centre-back has resumed training following knee cartilage surgery and will hone his fitness during international fortnight in the hope of returning to action at Pittodrie a week on Sunday.

Hearts are without defender Craig Halkett for the Aberdeen match because of suspension, so Kent’s return comes at a timely juncture. Halkett received a sixth yellow card of the season for a foul on Dundee United’s Vicko Sevelj on Sunday, which triggered an automatic one-match suspension. Michael Steinwender and Jamie McCart are the other centre-backs jostling to step into the Hearts starting line-up.

Head coach Derek McInnes explained to the Edinburgh News that Kent is now working towards a first-team return this month. “He has trained for over a week and, by the time we get to Pittodrie, he will have trained for three weeks and maybe played a training game,” said McInnes. “He isn't going to be 100 per cent but he's got good experience and it's good that we have somebody like him to call upon.

“We have other experienced players there in Jamie and Michael. That's why we have a squad, for times like this. Halks was always going to get a sixth booking having got to five so quickly. It shouldn't have come on Sunday because it should have been a foul on Stephen Kingsley just before that incident, but you have to say you can't really argue with the yellow card.”

Kent has been a regular in the Hearts team since arriving from Colchester United in 2023. He is now eager to regain a starting spot as the Tynecastle side look to maintain their unbeaten Premiership start. They sit seven points clear of Celtic at the top of the league and Kent wants to play his part having been out since the end of August. He damaged his cartilage during a training session at Riccarton.

“It was a bit of a weird one. I’ve been lucky in terms my injuries over the last six or seven years,” admitted the player in a Hearts TV interview. “To pick up the last couple has been frustrating. Hopefully I can now stay fit and help the team out. It’s been good [being back training], I have missed it. It’s been seven or eight weeks now. It has gone pretty quickly but just to be out with the boys, having a laugh and getting back to training and a bit or normality has been nice.”

Kent is aware of the strong competition in his position. “There are five or six of us, isn’t there? Yeah, there is competition for places and there was at the start of the season as well,” he added. “I’ll bide my time, do what I can do to try and get back in the team. The boys have been doing brilliantly. There is competition but I’m looking forward to it and looking forward to getting back fully fit and training as much as I can. Hopefully I get some game time at some point as well.”

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