Hearts have a Hibs spy in the camp - and Wouter Vrancken will be given the intel
Reus will let manager know all about his Easter Road counterpart
Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken probably knows new Hibs boss Marink Reedijk well from their time in Belgian football - but if he needs any proper inside intel, his goalkeeper Beau Reus is the man to turn to.
Reus was part of Reedijk’s Beveren team that posted an invincible season to win the second division in Belgium. No matter the level, that is some achievement, and the Dutch stopper is rightly proud of what they did together.
All affections and pleasantries will be put to one side on Sunday, though, when Hearts and Hibs meet in the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup. Reus and Reedijk were in correspondence when the 35-year-old from Amsterdam was on his way to Easter Road. There have been no messages this week.
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“As always, if you are a guy from an outside country that plays in Belgium, so we are both Dutch, it’s normal you have a certain connection,” explained Reus. “In that part he helped me a lot in growing as the person I am now.
“We are very kind to each other, but I think Sunday will be sharper - we will forget about it for 90 minutes, and after that, we can shake hands again.
“I knew there were rumours that he was coming to Hibs, so the day I left for international, break, I flew back to Amsterdam, and his plane was just landing. So I texted him, and the text didn't come in, and as soon as the plane landed (in Ednburgh) from Amsterdam, it came in, so I knew what was happening!
“I said to my girlfriend it’s unbelievable that I come across them again, in this way, but in football it is always like this, you will see each other many times. Guys move around a lot, and, yeah, you see how it can happen, and, yeah, we will see each other again now.”
It hasn’t been a smooth start to life in Scotland for Reedijk. He has only taken one point from his first four Premiership with Hibs and sitting joint bottom of the league, the pressure is already on. His tenure can get a huge boost by defeating Hearts at Hampden but conversely, a defeat will increase fan disgruntlement in Leith.
Reedijk has a firm supporter in Reus. The 25-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, explained how his former manager likes to operate - and plans to let his current gaffer Vrancken know.
“We were together in Belgium the last two years,” said Reus. “For me, he's a good manager. His gameplan is really clear. Hopefully that helps us a bit to crack the code. I will have a meeting with our coach to tell him how he will play, probably!
“No, I need to be honest, I don't know what this game plan is so far. He’s very adaptable. He's a young coach. I know he will have some tricks up his sleeve.
“He's really straight, so if he has a plan, he will go to implement his plan as well as he can. And for the rest, off the pitch he's a really, really nice guy, really warm. But, yeah, as soon as you're on the pitch with him, you know exactly what you have to do for him and he makes very clear what you have to do.”
Hearts have not won the League Cup since 1962 and Reus is fully aware of what’s at stake at the national stadium. “Yes, of course, it’s massive,” he added . “I don't know the numbers at the top of my head, but the last time they won it was quite some time ago.
“So it’s massive. And of course always great to play for cups, playing in tournaments, because you don't win that many trophies in your career, so every chance is one.”