Steven Naismith reveals when Hearts star with ‘unbelievable’ talent can be fully unleashed after injury woes

Steven Naismith says Hearts need to get Barrie McKay up to full speed if they want to unlock his full array of exciting talents.

The attack-minded star made just his fifth Premiership appearance of the season on Saturday off the bench during a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock. It was his first outing since tweaking his knee against Hibs days after Christmas, having not featured in the league until December with a PCL injury.

McKay has admitted the campaign has been stop-start and head coach Naismith is aware of the frustration behind an injury-hit campaign. When asked about how long it would take to get the 29-year-old up to full match speed, the former forward insisted it would be a decision taken upon a range of factors

The stage of the game, whether we think he is good enough to start and play as long he can and then come off or whether we say we leave him later when he is fresher and players are tired.

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