BERRA IS OUT FOR 6 MONTHS

HEARTS skipper Christophe Berra has been ruled out of action for six months with a torn hamstring.

The Scotland defender landed awkwardly on the Tynecastle turf during the first half of Saturday ’s 1- 0 Premiership win over Celtic.

Berra, left, fell inside the penalty area as he tried to block a Leigh Griffiths effort and left the field on a stretcher after several minutes’ treatment.

The 33-year-old’s leg was put in a brace and scans have confirmed Hearts

boss Craig Levein’s worst fears with his influential captain now sidelined until after the new year.

Levein said: “It’s obviously a very big blow. I’m gutted for Christophe.

“He’s really never been injured before and has played a number of years at the highest level, so it’s really bad luck. The reassuring thing is this year we have squad depth and Aaron Hughes showed his quality when called upon against Celtic, so we do have options going forward.

“The plus side, I suppose, is the way John Souttar took the captain’s armband and led by example throughout the second half. He just looks like a real proper centre-back and all credit to him.”

Hearts, top of the Premiership table with two wins out of two, will this morning release a final batch of 700 tickets for Saturday’s Betfred Cup tie against Dunfermline.

Two allocations of nearly 4000 have already sold out for the clash at East End Park.