“Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland Misses Scottish Cup Clash Due to Illness, Amid Ongoing Transfer Speculation”
Lawrence Shankland experienced an unfortunate day battling illness during Hearts’ Scottish Cup victory over Spartans, according to Peter Grant.
The absence of the striker, who has been the subject of transfer speculation linking him to Rangers and Celtic, raised questions about the nature of his absence from the squad for the fourth-round match.
Speculation intensified regarding Shankland’s potential move and concerns about avoiding cup-tie implications for future rounds.
However, both Barry Ferguson and Peter Grant, appearing on the Go Radio Football Show, urged caution and emphasized taking Hearts boss Steven Naismith’s word that Shankland was genuinely unwell.
Ferguson acknowledged Naismith’s statement, stating, “Well listen, they asked Steven Naismith the manager, and you’ve got to take that as he is being honest that he wasn’t well.
There is obviously going to be rumors flying about as there has been a lot of interest in him.”
Grant expressed his perspective, saying, “It’s a bad day to get a cold when it is a cup tie as it definitely sets alarm bells ringing on anybody.
Especially somebody like Lawrence who has scored the goals he has done. For me, he is a Hearts player, and unless Lawrence said he didn’t want to play, I would definitely have played him.”
Grant further emphasized his trust in Naismith’s assertion that Shankland was genuinely unwell, highlighting the player’s contributions to the team. He added, “We pay his wages.
He has trained and played exceptionally well and is the captain of the club. If he has decided that he doesn’t want to stay with Hearts, I would have still played him in the game.
That is why you’ve got to trust the fact that Steven [Naismith] was saying he was unwell.
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