Lawrence Shankland had to pull out of the Scotland squad with a hamstring issue but took his place in the Hearts starting team that beat St Mirren yesterday.
The Jambos skipper didn’t find the net, still on just one for the campaign after plundering 30-plus last season, but did provide a lovely assist as he linked up with Kenneth Vargas for the opener.
Later on in the game, something that never usually happens did indeed happen. Shankland was subbed off after around 65 minutes, new manager Neil Critchley replacing him with Alan Forrest.
The 29-year-old doesn’t tend to get injured much and has been a virtual ever-present since signing for Hearts, rarely even rotated out when previous boss Steven Naismith was changing other personnel up regularly.
So, seeing Shankland subbed off at all is a suprising thing but especially with so long in the game still to play.
Can anything be read into Shankland Hearts subbing?
What concerned Hearts fans even more was the sight of their captain heading straight for the tunnel and then not coming back out after the full-time whistle as other players greeted the support.
Some have raised the question over whether something is not quite right, which would be a concern ahead of a European tie and then the Edinburgh derby against Hibs.
Former Jambos skipper Michael Stewart admits there is that possibility but was keen to point out it could just as easily be nothing.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, he said: “I didn’t realise with the pictures we had here that he was away down the tunnel and didn’t come out at the end. I mean, you could read something into it.
“Or perhaps the manager is just thinking there is a lot of games coming up. This first week is massive for the manager. If he can get another positive result during the week against Omonia and then followed up in the derby, all of a sudden the slight nervousness can quickly dissipate.
“Having Lawrence Shankland fully fit…they were already cruising in the game so why keep him on? That could be the thinking behind it but the fact he’s away down the tunnel? You could read into it.”
Shankland could still be feeling hamstring effects
It is important to remember, as mentioned, that Shankland had to pull out of the Scotland squad due to a hamstring complaint.
Despite the fact he was able to start the game, that doesn’t mean he was full over the effects of the injury. Hearts and new boss Critchley have some big, big games coming up and resting him up while two goals ahead makes perfect sense.
Stewart added: “Maybe we should have asked the question of the manager at the end. That would have been a straightforward question – ‘was Lawrence Shankland taken off for a concern?’
“Because obviosuly there’s big games coming up. I would have thought that would’ve been a standard thing to check on. It’s not normal to take the captain off unless there’s a wee bit of a concern.
“Or just to find out the manager’s thinking. Were you taking him off as a precaution for Europe during the week and the derby next week.
“He obviously had to pull out of the Scotland squad because of his hamstring. So is it something that is still lingering, or was he fine?”
Leave a Reply