Steven Naismith will miss the Scottish Cup Final against Celtic on Saturday through injury.
The on loan Norwich forward has been out with a knee injury since the end of February but Craig Levein had been hoping that he would recover in time to face Celtic.
Naismith played a lead role in the 1-0 win that Hearts enjoyed over Celtic at the start of the season when he kicked out at a grounded Jonny Hayes then screamed in the face of the hoops winger.
Olly Lee & Steven Naismith the only Hearts players out for Hearts for Scottish Cup final. On stopping Celtic’s treble treble bid, Craig Levein says “we’re going for the single single, just as important for us. We’ve got a big occasion in us” pic.twitter.com/H44QPjxWk6
— Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) May 23, 2019
Uche Ikpeazu appears to be winning his battle for fitness but it will be something of a risk to play him at Hampden just three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-0 defeat from Kilmarnock.
Kieran Tierney, Jozo Simunovic and Scott Brown weren’t pictured at Celtic’s training session at Lennoxtown this morning but Neil Lennon told a Celtic TV interview that Oli Burke was his only injury concern.