Thirty Lithuanian players set for Riccarton visit

HEARTS are set to welcome up to 30 Lithuanian players to the club's Riccarton training ground next month.

Unlike two years ago, when 20 players were flown in from eastern Europe to take part in a series of bounce matches, the responsibility for identifying eastern European talent is now understood to lie in the hands of Eduard Malofeev, who was this week named as the new coach of MTZ-Ripo Minsk - financed by Romanov - after an unsuccessful stint as caretaker coach at Hearts.

Although Hearts head coach Valdas Ivanauskas yesterday tried to play down the nature of the players' visit, saying that Kaunas may use Edinburgh as a training camp in bad weather, it is unimaginable that they will not be put through their paces by Romanov's coaching team.

"Kaunas have a tournament in Moscow from January 22 to 27 and it's very difficult in Lithuania because of the snow," said Ivanauskas. "It is possible, not 100 per cent, that they will come over here for a training camp. We have good facilities here, and why not?"

Taken from the Scotsman