Hearts talks with Barrie McKay and Yutaro Oda - plus updates on both Beni Baningime and Zander Clark

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Neil Critchley explains the situation at Riccarton

Barrie McKay and Yutaro Oda have been told the door is not yet closed on their Hearts careers, but also that there are no first-team opportunities for either winger at the moment. They remain out of favour under head coach Neil Critchley and lately have struggled to even make the substitutes’ bench for the Edinburgh club.

McKay’s last Hearts league appearance was back on 30 October last year and he has been left out of the squad for the last five matches. The 30-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and won’t be offered an extension as things stand. Oda’s only appearance under Critchley came in December’s UEFA Conference League defeat at FC Copenhagen. The Japanese has been left out of the squad for four of the last five games but is contracted at Tynecastle Park until summer 2026.

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Critchley has spoken to both players about their respective situations. The manager understands that they want game time and is not ruling out the possibility that they could play their way back into his plans. For the moment, they are on the periphery with other clubs showing interest in them. Critchley stressed that he has not told McKay or Oda that they are free to leave Hearts.

“I haven't had those types of conversations with them,” he told the Edinburgh News. “We have a big squad of players and we need to manage it as we see fit for every game. Barrie and Yutaro have been in some squads but not so much recently. Things can change very quickly in football. I'm sure both players will want to play. If they are not playing, and with the window being open during January, then that's when people start to get active. It wouldn't surprise me if agents are working on their behalf and I would understand that.

“Players want to play and if they are not in the team or the squad then, quite rightly, they would be frustrated. What I would say is that both of them are training properly and they are professionals. Situations can change very quickly, as we've seen with Liam Boyce and Jorge Grant recently. The door is not completely closed. However, Barrie and Yutaro are not in the squads and they want to play. They have been at the football club a while but that opportunity is not there for them right now.”

Hearts are hoping midfielder Beni Baningime can train uninterrupted this week after illness. He missed Sunday’s win at Dundee United with a suspected sickness bug but will be in contention to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie this weekend if there are no setbacks.

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“We would hope so because he missed Sunday with illness,” said Critchley. “I saw him on the morning of the game and he had been sick overnight. He wasn't right. We took that decision out of his hands and said: 'You need to go home and get better.' After a few days, we are hopeful he will join back in training and be in consideration for the weekend.”

Second-choice goalkeeper Zander Clark also missed the match at Tannadice Park with a knee problem. Critchley is confident he will not be missing for a significant amount of time. “I wouldn't expect it to be long-term. It was something he felt back in the summer and he was okay after a few days' rest, so we are hopeful it will be the same again.”

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