International ready for early comeback after injury
Hearts manager Craig Levein admits midfielder Arnaud Djoum is on the verge of a first-team comeback following six months on the sidelines. The Cameroon internationalist ruptured an Achilles tendon during the February 17 draw at Ross County. However, he is ahead of progress in his rehabilitation after initially being told he could be absent for up to 10 months. Levein insists the 29-year-old would have been able to take part in last Tuesday’s narrow Irn-Bru Cup defeat for Hearts colts to Ross County, but decided against using Djoum as an over-age player. However, with the Gorgie outfit kicking off its reserve league campaign in a game at Motherwell on Tuesday, Djoum is expected to feature in the match as he attempts to improve his match fitness ahead of a return to competitive action. Levein said: “Arnaud is not far away. “He is in full training now and, if it wasn’t a competitive game against Ross County in the Irn-Bru Cup, I might have thrown him into the match for a half. “But I didn’t want to use that competition to play one over-age player. “He should be back, he is looking really good and I’ll use the reserve league for him. “I’ve been really impressed with him, so that’s a bonus.” Djoum, who joined Hearts from Polish side Lech Poznan in summer 2015, was restricted to a total of 20 appearances during the 2017-18 season. He was also sidelined for two months from last September with knee medial ligament damage.