Hearts latest on Kyosuke Tagawa and the decision facing Steven Naismith

Japanese forward is still waiting to properly kickstart his career at Tynecastle Park

Japanese forward Kyosuke Tagawa is fit and ready to contribute as Hearts enter a frenetic period of nine games in just over five weeks. St Johnstone's visit to Tynecastle Park on Saturday is the start of a congested run of fixtures through to the January break, and Tagawa has impressed head coach Steven Naismith in training.

Ankle and hamstring injuries hindered him following his summer arrival from FC Tokyo, and so far he has scored once in eight appearances for the Edinburgh club. Coaching and fitness work during the international break readied the 24-year-old for first-team football, with Naismith enjoying the competition for places up front.

"Tagawa has looked a level up over the last two weeks - sharper and more comfortable," he told the Edinburgh News. "In the weeks before, he's come back from injury and he's that tentative way, but he's now back. Hopefully, he can be involved in this block of games. He is now at the stage where he is in the squad and available for selection.

"It goes back to competition in the squad. You have some others there who are wanting to be involved as well. It's picking the right moments to play each player."

Naismith faces a decision on how and when to reintroduce Tagawa, who has not played competitively since early September. He must also manage expectations of others in the 27-man Hearts first-team squad.

"You have to make tough calls and I think I've shown since I've been at the club that I'm comfortable making them," he stated. "I've got a clear idea of what I like, what I expect. Day-to-day, you must work in a certain way and, if you don't, then you won't be involved with the group.

"Beyond that, players can always be disappointed. You want them to be disappointed so they can show you going forward. Within a season, some players don't play for three or four weeks, but then they will come in and play for the next six weeks.

"Football moves so quickly. Players might not understand that they maybe need a wee bit of time on the side to adapt to a certain moment. They are better for it in the future. As a manager, you want a fully-fit squad with the best players on the pitch for each game."

Naismith explained how he is using knowledge from his own playing days plus experience from working within the Scotland coaching staff to make those choices.

"The biggest experience I've leaned on is my playing days and how managers dealt with me personally, plus being involved in the national team coaching set-up was a good grounding for me," he said.

"That's probably the most extreme you are going to get. We have very rarely had to leave somebody out of the Hearts squad who was fully fit. That's just happening now [as injuries clear up]. At international level, there are players left out of the starting line-up and others out of the squad altogether.

"I've learned a lot over time in that department. It comes down to being honest. If you give your reasons, players might not agree or be happy with it but over time they will respect your honesty. I look at the full matchday squad and envisage who I might need to come on in a game, and if players need to miss out then they miss out."