Peter Haring speaks on Hearts future and reveals he is close to a return

The Austrian midfielder is contracted to Hearts until 2022

Peter Haring has handed Hearts a double boost.

The Austrian midfielder, speaking to the media in his homeland, confirmed that he is happy at the club and that he will soon be able to return to training.

It has now been 374 days since Haring last pulled on a Hearts jersey, his last appearance coming in the Scottish Cup final loss to Celtic last year.

Peter Haring has revealed he is close to a return. Picture: SNS

A hernia issue has caused the player and the club a huge headache over the last year, and a further operation had to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. He confirmed, however, that is due to take place in a week.

“It all started with a hernia operation,” he told BVZ.at. “Since then I have had complaints in the abdomen and adductor area. Then there was an inflammation of the pubis, which always subsides and breaks out again after a few training sessions.”

‘The most important thing’

A popular figure amongst fans, Haring has revealed he is happy in Edinburgh calling Scotland’s Capital “an absolutely awesome city”, and that he is preparing to play for the side in the second tier.

The 26-year-old, who signed a new deal last year keeping at the club until 2022, compared Hearts in the Championship to Austria or Rapid Vienna being relegated.

He said: "It's an absolute worst case scenario - not just for the club, but also for the league. This is roughly comparable to Austria or Rapid being relegated in Austria. We have an average attendance of 17,000 fans.

“The most important thing is that I will soon be fit and able to train again. Then we will analyse the situation and decide.

“I still have a two-year contract here - this also applies to the 2nd division. No matter what happens, I know that the club will do everything to get back to the first division as quickly as possible.”

He added: “Our owner wants to make a proposal so that the leagues are increased. This also requires a majority. But more clubs also means less money for the other clubs. It's all very complicated. The opportunity is alive, but it is very slim.”