Odel Offiah's time at Hearts is effectively over - Alex Lowry explains the change since his loan from Rangers

Tynecastle club do not expect the Brighton player's situation to change between now and January

Odel Offiah's time at Hearts appears to be over after he returned to parent club Brighton and Hove Albion. He is likely to remain there indefinitely after suffering some medical issues during his loan stay in Edinburgh.

Steven Naismith, the Hearts head coach, admitted he does not expect Offiah back in the Scottish capital any time soon. "Odel is still back with Brighton and I would be surprised if that changes between now and January at least," said Naismith.

The 21-year-old arrived at Tynecastle Park on a season-long loan agreement in August, but it is anticipated that will be cut short after nine appearances in maroon. Hearts are already looking for a replacement defender who can operate in the right-back position, with Nathaniel Atkinson still recovering from an ankle injury.

"The squad is looking really good. I don't think there's an injury that is only inside now," reported Naismith. "Natty Atkinson and Barrie McKay are back involved in training with the group so they will have this period, over the next few weeks, to sustain that. Then they will go on to hopefully get into contention.

"Craig Gordon and Craig Halkett are maybe a week or so away from that point when they can join back in with the squad, and I don't think we have anyone else out. Everyone has come back from internationals all good. We are in a good place and competition is fierce."

Hearts resume league business at home to St Johnstone on Saturday after welcoming nine players back from international duty. "I've found the breaks positive. We know they are coming and it’s about having a good routine," explained Naismith. "We’ve found them beneficial in terms of where we have progressed to as a group. The thing that makes it better this time is we have nearly all of our injured players back on the grass."

The winter period is about to properly kick in for those at Tynecastle as they begin a congested period of nine games in just over five weeks. The January break starts following the league trip to Livingston on Tuesday, 2 January.

"It’s about consistency for us," said Naismith. "There’s been good moments and frustrating moments but we are slowly building consistency in terms of results and performances. It’s about having a bit more control, not seeing loads of turnovers, being less end-to-end. We are now in a period where we’ve got a routine. In the early part of the season, you need to deal with it being a bit more disruptive. This is the most consistent run of fixtures and it’s an opportunity for us to build."

Midfielder Alex Lowry - one of the nine who were on international duty - is conscious of the need to gain momentum after returning from the Scotland Under-21 camp. "The international break probably came at an annoying point because we were two [league] wins on the bounce and playing good football," he said. "But all focus us on getting three points and picking up more momentum going into a busy festive period.

"I actually looked at the league for the first time not that long ago, and I thought there would be a bigger gap than there was. Everyone seems to be in and around each other. So it’s up to us to try and push ourselves away from the group and up the table.

"There have been games this season where we feel we should have come out with three points but we haven’t. That’s annoying, because we would have been in a better position. That’s in the past, it’s on us not to put a run of games together where we are winning consistently and winning with good performances as well.

“The consistency has definitely got a lot better. Myself as well, I have been a lot more consistent the past few games. Hopefully I can keep that going."

Having taken time to settle in at Riccarton following his loan arrival from Rangers, Lowry is developing into a useful member of Naismith's team. He acknowledged the change of environment was probably a factor in him needing a few weeks to bed in.

"I’m not too sure. The first couple of months I could put it down to getting to know the boys," he remarked. "I had been at Rangers my whole life so it was a big change, but now I am playing more consistently. I am really enjoying the position I am playing in. So there are a few factors that have come into it that have made me more consistent. I speak to the manager about what I can do to get better and he has helped me with a lot of stuff."

Loan rules prevent Lowry facing his parent club, meaning he sat out recent Premiership and Viaplay Cup matches against Rangers. That makes him more determined to nail down a starting place with Hearts. "Yeah, 100 per cent. It is annoying because we have them again in a couple of weeks and I’ll have to sit out again. That’s just part and parcel of being a player on loan. I just need to be consistent in the games I play in, and hopefully help the team win games."

Talks have taken place with the new Rangers manager, Philippe Clement, but Lowry was not keen to divulge too much detail. "I have spoken to him briefly, but my focus right now is on Hearts," he said.