Lafferty is open to a return to Tynecastle

KYLE LAFFERTY admits he would relish the chance of a return to Hearts. The 32-year-old Northern Ireland forward is on the look-out for a new club after his short-term contract at Sunderland came to an end. Lafferty scored 20 goals at Tynecastle in a successful 2017-18 season before beginning a second stint at Rangers that was cut short when his contract was terminated a year later. New Tynecastle coach Robbie Neilson is looking for a maximum of ‘three or four’ new players ahead of a campaign that will begin in the Championship unless the club succeed in overturning their relegation at arbitration. Lafferty feels the Gorgie club have been treated unfairly and made clear his willingness to pull on a maroon jersey again after being previously linked with a return last year. ‘You know what? I’d go back to Hearts,’ he told Open Goal. ‘Even before I left Rangers, I

spoke to Austin (MacPhee) and he said: “Listen, your name’s there — it’s up to the manager now”. ‘I think he (Craig Levein) wanted to sign his own players rather than go with people who had been there before. I’d go back to Hearts. They are an amazing club with amazing people who own it. ‘What’s happened to them now with relegation, I don’t think the fans deserve it and Ann Budge deserves more.’ Lafferty has played in Switzerland, Italy, Turkey and Norway in a much-travelled career and also sees the appeal of another spell overseas. ‘My missus is due to give birth again in the next couple of weeks,’ he said. ‘It’s one of those where I wonder whether I hold off and see what happens. ‘I love going abroad. Everything that comes with it, training in the afternoon, having coffee, being in the sun. It’s a different feeling. I think my game suits abroad.’ Neilson insists, meanwhile, that he’s been given carte blanche to clear out the Hearts coaching team and bring in his own staff. But he is determined to make a judgment based on an assessment of the backroom unit already in place at Tynecastle. Although Daniel Stendel’s exit also led to Jorg Sievers and Dale Tonge departing, Hearts still have Andy Kirk, Liam Fox and Paul Gallagher on the coaching staff — along with a number of fitness and sports science experts. Neilson has so far only held in-depth talks with head of performance Bob McCunn, with the furloughed status of others restricting his contact. But owner Budge will not block any attempt by Neilson to recruit his assistants from Dundee United, Lee McCulloch and Gordon Forrest, the head coach declaring: ‘It’s up to me what I want to do.’ Asked about McCulloch and Forrest, Neilson added: ‘I’ve got a good coaching staff at the moment at Hearts. ‘I’ve a number of coaches, so I’ll need to assess them before I make a decision on whether to bring people in or not. ‘I don’t want to speak about other employees at other clubs. I had a great relationship with everyone up there but, at this moment in time, I’m focused on the guys we’ve got at Hearts.’