Hearts plan eight-week pre-season training programme starting in August

Hearts players are due to return to training in August.

Hearts plan to return to training in early August to prepare for the 2020/21 Scottish Championship season, unless they are restored to the Premiership beforehand.

New manager Robbie Neilson is drawing up an eight-week pre-season programme to have his players fully fit come the beginning of October.

Betfred Cup group games have been provisionally pencilled in for that time, with the truncated Championship campaign due to kick off on the 17th of the month.

Hearts have facilities in place for players to return to Riccarton and train just now, but so far only Premiership clubs have been permitted to resume sessions due to coronavirus restrictions.

Hearts' and Partick Thistle's joint legal action at the Court of Session will be heard this Wednesday at 11am. It has been put back a day from Tuesday.

If successful, their relegations from last season would be overturned and restore the clubs to the top flight and second tier respectively.

Tynecastle officials are prepared to alter their schedule quickly in the event of that happening, but for now they are making arrangements to restart training sessions around the second week in August.

Testing equipment and disinfecting methods will be of paramount importance each day as they gear up for what, as it stands, will be a 27-game league campaign.

Championship clubs agreed earlier this month to shorten the season from the regular 36 matches, a decision mainly driven by finance, and must play behind closed doors as it stands.

Hearts are eager to get back playing as quickly as possible. The Scottish Football Association announced on Wednesday that fans could be back inside stadiums as early as July 23 if the virus continues to be suppressed.

That date is very much provisional and subject to change depending on guidance from the Scottish Government.

Hearts will continue to monitor the situation closely. They are prepared to bring their training dates forward at short notice should circumstances allow it.

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