Hearts boost as Adrian Mrowiec back in training

HEARTS midfielder Adrian Mrowiec is due to resume full training at Riccarton later this week and could make a surprise return from injury before the end of the season.

A knee problem sustained in March was expected to end the Pole’s season prematurely but the Evening News has learned he is ahead of schedule with his recovery. Mrowiec, pictured, will rejoin Hearts’ first-team squad for training before the end of the week and has an outside chance of playing again before the current campaign is over.

Whether Mrowiec’s early return will see him considered for a place in the Scottish Cup final against Hibs on May 19 remains to be seen. He has not played since the 2-2 Scottish Cup quarter-final against St Mirren on March 10.

Mrowiec’s recovery will be welcomed by the Hearts manager Paulo Sergio and his coaching staff, although the news is tempered somewhat by the hamstring injury suffered by Craig Beattie at Tannadice on Saturday. The striker will not feature against Motherwell at Tynecastle this evening but Hearts are hopeful he could recover in time to face St Johnstone on Sunday.

“He’s got a slight hamstring problem. Hopefully it’s not too serious,” explained Gary Locke, Hearts’ first-team coach.

“He’s had treatment over the last few days so it’ll just be a case of seeing how he responds to treatment. He’ll be out tonight but hopefully he will be available at the weekend. It’s a hamstring strain and we’re certainly not going to take any risks with that.”

Locke stressed that Beattie would not be kept in storage to preserve him for the Cup Final.

“It’s not a case of wrapping anybody up,” he continued. “You’ve got to play the players who are fit and available. Arvydas Novikovas came on at the weekend and scored a cracking goal, so everybody’s pushing for a place in the team at the moment and that’s great.”