Peter Haring reveals what he wants regarding his Hearts future and opens up on spending six months out

Austrian midfielder is back fit and starting matches but his Tynecastle deal expires in a few weeks.

Five years at Tynecastle Park have taught Peter Haring that anything is possible. From managerial changes to enforced relegations to European adventures, the Austrian midfielder has experienced it all with Hearts. He wants to stay for more as well, and isn’t ruling out the possibility of a contract extension.

Haring turns 30 in June as his current deal expires and is keen to agree at least another 12 months. He was granted a one-season renewal this time last year with the option of a further year thereafter. Having regained fitness after six months out, he is eager to stretch his time in Scotland into a sixth season.

“I hope I can stay beyond the summer, yes. I haven’t thought about it very much but I’m happy here,” said Haring in an exclusive Evening News interview. “I’ve been in this situation last year, as you know, but there is nothing much to say just now. The primary focus has to be on the next five games to hopefully get us back into third place.”

There have been no talks between player and club to date about activating that option. Hearts recently changed managers and are preoccupied with trying to regain that third spot in the Premiership from Aberdeen. Haring is content to let events take their natural course. “I’m relaxed. I’ve been in this situation and the club knows me as well. There is no need to rush, so it’s all good,” he said.

Saturday saw him appear in a Hearts starting line-up for the first time since October 13 last year – a Europa Conference League tie away to Fiorentina. A home match against the Premiership’s bottom team, Ross County, cannot lay claim to such glamour. Nonetheless, Haring was both relieved and excited returning to his favoured spot in central midfield.

“I’ve been waiting for quite a while. I’ve been back in training for some time but obviously, after being out for such a long time, you have to be very patient. I was delighted and relieved after Saturday and I feel very good now.

“It didn’t feel difficult physically. I’ve been training on my own and then with the team for almost two months. Games are always different but I felt really good early on. Sometimes it can take you 10 or 15 minutes to properly get back in but Saturday was fine. Obviously I was very excited so the adrenaline helps. From the first minute, I felt right back into it and it was quite easy for me to get up to speed.”

Peter Haring returned to the Hearts starting line-up on Saturday against Ross County.

No-one could argue that he hadn’t earned the right to some positivity. The winter of 2022/23 will remain a black period in Haring’s life due to concussion suffered during a brief substitute appearance at Aberdeen three days after that Fiorentina match. The injury virtually wrecked his season, recurring symptoms thwarting different comeback attempts over subsequent months.

“I won’t go into too much detail because we would be here for the rest of the afternoon,” he said with a wry smile. “It’s been very strange with the symptoms. There was a period during the winter break when I came back, went into training and thought: ‘I’m fine again.’

“Then, out of nowhere, it just came back and lingered. I didn’t feel particularly well for a long period. Looking back, I couldn’t have done anything different. It was just a case of being unlucky, I think. I tried as much as I could but any time I tried anything it just didn’t respond very well. It was literally a case of getting over it and starting again.”

Winning 6-1 to end a dismal run of six successive defeats is the perfect way to reintroduce yourself to the first XI. Haring is asked whether he will exploit the situation by subtly pointing out to team-mates that an emphatic victory transpired as soon as he was back in the side.

“It’s not like that,” he laughed. “I wish it was that easy. It’s one win but we have set the standards in terms of aggression and energy. There are a lot of ways we can improve, especially with the ball in the opposition half. We can be much calmer and more controlled but the work rate and energy set the standard for the last five games.

“It couldn’t have been any better on Saturday. We scored early, got a second one right away, then a third and the fourth before the break. It was an ideal first 45 minutes for me and the whole team. Because of the last couple of weeks, which were far from good enough, it was a very good response.”

Interim manager Steven Naismith has focused on attacking elements of Hearts’ play during training sessions. The gameplan clicked perfectly against County but significantly tougher tests lie in wait with the Premiership now split into top half and bottom half. “It’s hard to say if we’ve got more freedom. Maybe some boys felt like that, I can’t really comment on that,” said Haring. “When Naisy came in, the club decided to change the manager and you are asked to change things. That’s why they do it.

“Every person has his own ideas and Naisy tries to get his across. I know it’s only been two weeks but, even in training, you can definitely see the first glimpses of what he is trying to implement in the team. He wants us to be more on the front foot, going forward quicker.”