Milne ruled out for season with ACL injury as Hearts face Rangers with depleted squad
Hearts defender Harry Milne will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury, head coach Wouter Vrancken has confirmed, with the club still without eight first-team players for Wednesday's visit of Rangers.
Heart of Midlothian left-back Harry Milne will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury, head coach Wouter Vrancken has confirmed. The 29-year-old was hurt in a training session before Hearts' Conference League defeat away to Trabzonspor last Thursday.
Milne had been voted into the PFA Scotland Premiership team of the year last season and was named one of Hearts' vice-captains by Vrancken in July, underlining his importance to the Tynecastle side over the past year. Vrancken said there had been a little hope the injury was not as serious as feared, but that the scan confirmed his expectation. He added that the setback was hard for the player, who has now accepted the situation.
Milne joins a lengthy absentee list. Vrancken also confirmed that fellow defenders Stuart Findlay and Christian Borchgrevink face further time on the sidelines. The Belgian coach expects Blair Spittal to return before Christmas but said it is difficult to see fellow midfielder Tom Renaud being back by then.
Despite the depleted squad, Hearts travelled to Motherwell on Sunday and ground out a 2-0 victory. Vrancken said his available squad will be unchanged for Wednesday's home encounter with Rangers, which marks the return of manager Derek McInnes following his departure from Hearts in June.
Hearts go into the game looking to narrow the four-point gap between themselves and second-placed Rangers. Vrancken stressed that his players must concentrate on their own performance and block out distractions, insisting that emotions not focused on the task bring nothing extra to the match.
Supporters have followed the injury updates closely, with fans' concerns about the growing absentee list remaining opinion rather than confirmed fact; the club has confirmed only the specifics of each player's availability as stated by Vrancken.
Image: SNS / BBC Sport
