Hearts latest injury news as Jambos star receives late international call-up

Hearts remain plagued by injury concerns with Craig Gordon and Craig Halkett looking at 2024 return

Hearts pulled off an exceptionally satisfying and necessary win on Saturday (11 November) as they beat Motherwell 2-1 at Fir Park to head into the international break with three crucial points under their belt.

The Jambos now have five wins from their 12 games so far this season and sit just two points behind St Mirren in the league with a strong chance of continuing their winning run when they return from the international break in two weekend's time.

Following his brace in North Lanarkshire, Hearts' club captain Lawrence Shankland has been called up to the Scotland squad as they prepare for their last two Euros qualifying fixtures and joins teammate Zander Clark who will be hoping to win his first start for his county.

They leave behind several players who will be maximising the two week gap in Premiership fixtures in the hope of a fast return from respective injuries.

Steven Naismith's side have suffered a loss of many key players so far this season with the medical centre appearing increasingly more crammed. However, the ex-Hearts striker has provided positive updates on two of the longer-term absentees while admitting it could be much longer than anticipated before we see either Barrie McKay or Nathaniel Atkinson.

McKay, 28, injured his knee in Hearts' 2-1 home defeat to PAOK back in August and has not been seen on the pitch since. Naismith recently revealed that he and the ankle-injured Australian have been out jogging but "it's still very early on for them".

24-year-old defender Atkinson was forced to come off during Hearts' 1-0 defeat to St Mirren in September and was initially thought to be out for at least two months but as that deadline is fast approaching, it would appear the Socceroo star will face longer on the sidelines.

Craig Gordon and Craig Halkett have both been out of action since last December's fixture against Dundee United. While Halkett ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, Gordon suffered a severe leg-break.

The pair will, however, return to action this week as they play a closed-door match against Championship side Queen's this Wednesday. Speaking to Edinburgh News, Naismith confirmed: "Everybody who is not away on international duty will be playing in the game. Nathaniel Atkinson and Barrie McKay are the only two who won't play. Craig Gordon and Craig Halkett will play."

The ex-Rangers striker did miss one figure when detailing the upcoming mid-week clash. Odel Offiah will be another absent from this week's closed-door friendly after he returned to parent club Brighton.

The 21-year-old defender suffered a return of the medical issue that saw him miss several matches earlier this season and his Jambos boss revealed he is now out of contention for the foreseeable future while the problem is monitored.

Having been missing from several matchday squads, Naismith brought Kyosuke Tagawa back into the picture for Saturday's clash against Motherwell. While he remained an unused sub, it did indicate that his previous hamstring issues have since been resolved and the Japanese star is focusing on improving his match-level fitness.

The international break comes at the perfect time for the 24-year-old to build up his experience of Scottish football as he will hope to make an impression in the friendly against Queen's.