Wouter Vrancken has reached out to Cammy Devlin for crunch talks over his Hearts future, with the new Jambos head coach stepping up his push to keep the Australia midfielder. Vrancken had previously stated his desire to retain Devlin and is now ready to commence discussions following the Socceroos' exit from the World Cup.
World Cup exit opens door for talks
Australia crashed out of the tournament on penalties to Egypt on Friday, ending Devlin's World Cup campaign. Vrancken confirmed he has already sent a message to the player. "Yes, I've sent him a message now," Vrancken said. "He's out of the World Cup now. So maybe it's a pity for him. I sent him a message, but I know the time difference. He played in Dallas, I think. So I sent him a message just to see when it's possible for him that we can have a call somewhere. I'm waiting for the answer."
Devlin has attracted interest from Rangers, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire, and QPR, making Vrancken's efforts to secure his future crucial.
Pre-season progress in Spain
Hearts return from their pre-season trip to Spain today, with Vrancken satisfied with the team's development. "Yes, pleased because now you learn about the entire group. You know the personalities within the group," he said. "We also had a quiz the other night, so there you can also see some dynamics, let's call it like that. It's nice to see, because you can see directly that the groups are really good together. Also, the new signings fit in well. This is actually the base. Team sports always start with a team, being a team on the pitch. Then it's energy and then it's tactics. These are the steps. I'm pleased when I see the guys connecting together off the pitch."
Hearts will play friendlies against Livingston, Arbroath, and Rayo Vallecano before facing Sturm Graz in their Champions League qualifiers. Vrancken admitted he would have preferred more games in Spain but cited scheduling issues. "Yes, but there was no possibility because the previous coach (Derek McInnes) didn't want to play on Saturday, I think, against River Plate, because of his reasons. Recuperation and stuff like that. I did want it, but at the moment River Plate was already playing in Portugal. St Mirren also had a game, otherwise, we could play two times against them."
Injury update
Youngster Finlay Pollock has suffered a hamstring injury and will undergo a scan to determine the extent of the damage upon his return to Edinburgh. Vrancken confirmed: "Yes, hamstring injury, but not in the same spot as last year."
