Hearts hunt new boss after axe falls on ex-Mags coach
Hearts are looking for a new head coach after losing patience with the Ian Cathro experiment.
Innovative ex-Newcastle coach Cathro was sacked four days before the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership kick-off in the wake of the Edinburgh club’s dismal Betfred Cup exit, which saw Hearts fans round on the 31-year-old.
The appointment last December was viewed as progressive but risky and Hearts opted to cut their losses after an unrelenting run of poor results.
Cathro has been linked with an immediate return to the game with Wolves, who are managhed by Nuno Espirito Santo, his former boss at Rio Ave and Valencia.
Hearts, whose league season starts away to Celtic on Saturday, must decide whether to stick with their declared policy of developing young coaches or bring in an experienced hand to steady the ship.
After announcing Cathro’s immediate departure, a club statement read: “The board wishes it to be known that this was a very difficult decision, reluctantly made, as every member of the board recognises that Ian is an extremely talented young coach with a very bright future ahead of him.”
Ex-Hearts star Paul Hartley is among the favourites for the job. The club have not made it clear whether assistant Austin MacPhee, who joined alongside Cathro, will stay on. ExHartlepool striker Jon Daly, a coach at the club, is a contender for the main job.
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish will miss at least three months of the new Championship season because of kidney damage sustained in Saturday’s goalless friendly draw with Watford.
Villa’s ex-Sunderland boss, Steve Bruce, said: “It’s very painful and he’s still in hospital, which tells you something about the extent of the injury.”
Villa must also do without striker Jonathan Kodjia for the first month, as he fights to return from a broken ankle sustained last season.
Winger Jesus Navas – who scored for Manchester City in their 2014 Capital One Cup final win over Sunderland – has rejoined Sevilla on a free transfer. Navas, 31, managed 173 appearances for City after joining from Sevilla in 2013, but was used only fleetingly last season.