Hearts to wait for the Bels

VYACHESLAV HLEB and Oleg Strahanovich will become Hearts players next summer provided they can satisfy UK work permit regulations.

Valdas Ivanauskas today revealed he is prepared to wait until the end of the season if necessary to bring the Belarussians to Scotland, with neither currently eligible to work in Britain having played just under 75 per cent of international matches for their country during the last two years.

Hleb and Strahanovich are contracted to MTZ Ripo of Minsk and have been identified for potential loan moves to Edinburgh by Vladimir Romanov. The majority shareholder in Hearts also finances the Belarussian side through his Ukio Bankas Investment Group.

Romanov intended to loan the midfielders from MTZ Ripo to Hearts next week when the transfer window opens but the work permit complications have delayed his plans.

The Edinburgh club hope the red tape will have dissipated in six months' time, however, with both Hleb and Strahanovich certain to play in Belarus' Euro 2008 qualifier against Luxembourg in March and then the double header with Bulgaria in June, taking them over the 75 per cent participation threshold. Hearts may attempt to force the work permit issue during January but, if unsuccessful, Ivanauskas says he has no problem waiting until June.

"It's a difficult situation because the work permit is a problem," explained the head coach. "With Hleb, I think there is only a small chance to take him on a transfer just now but, come the summer, he can play for Hearts. By then he will have made more international appearances for Belarus. "Strahanovich is in a similar situation so we will wait until the summer for them," added the coach.

Hleb, nicknamed "Slava", is the 23-year-old brother of Arsenal midfielder Alexander and spent a trial period at Riccarton during the summer and then again earlier this month. He and Strahanovich, 27, helped MTZ Ripo to finish third in the Belarussian Premier League, which ended last month. Strahanovich was then named his country's Player of the Year and joined Hleb in the Belarussian Premier League's "All-Star" team for 2006.

On the injury front, Ivanauskas has reported steady progress for Chilean forward Mauricio Pinilla, and wingers Deividas Cesnauskis and Mirsad Beslija.

"David and Mauricio are back training and making progress but Mirsad needs more time," said Ivanauskas. "He is making some progress. I have spoken to our physios and they tell me that Mirsad will be ready to train with the team in around ten days."

Pinilla had been recovering from a hamstring strain and Cesnauskis from a persistent viral complaint. Beslija hurt his knee last month in a reserve match.

Meanwhile, Hjalmar Thorarinsson has intimated a desire to return to his native Iceland. He is currently on loan at Raith Rovers but is hoping to free himself from his Hearts contract.

Taken from the Scotsman