Levein: Hearts where the home is for Meshino
CRAIG LEVEIN reckons Ryotaro Meshino is ready to make his mark in the Edinburgh derby after being given time to find his feet.
The on-loan Manchester City winger was the only silver lining in Hearts’ miserable 3-2 defeat against Motherwell on Saturday, climbing from the bench to score his first goal for the club and tee up another for Uche Ikpeazu.
While the fixture will be remembered for the protests outside Tynecastle demanding Levein’s sacking, Meshino’s cameo was almost certainly enough to play his way into the line-up for Sunday’s derby against Hibernian.
Levein believes Meshino is benefitting from some home comforts and is in a position to become a key man at the club.
He said: “It’s not just about Ryo’s fitness. I’m trying to give him time to settle and feel relaxed. He has had a lot of things happen to him over the last two or three weeks. But last week in training he was better than the previous week.
“He has had a good period now and has and apartment, a car, a UK phone – all these things that help you feel relaxed. I saw enough on Saturday to know that Ryo can help us now. The more he plays, trains and understands his teammates, the better he will be. I was really pleased with his impact.”
One player Levein will have to do without on Sunday is Conor Washington after it was confirmed that the Northern Ireland striker will miss the next three months following the hamstring tear he sustained in Saturday’s defeat.