Hearts 'have to look' at defensive reinforcements after bruising beginning

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken admitted he will likely have to bring in further defensive reinforcements after several key players were struck down by injury in the opening three games of the season.

Vice-captain Stephen Kingsley, new centre-back Malachi Fagan-Walcott and right-back Christian Borchgrevink all picked up knocks in the Champions League qualifying double header against Sturm Graz, which ended in a 6-0 aggregate defeat.

Club captain Craig Halkett is already missing after rupturing his Achilles in the third-to-last match of the previous campaign, while fellow centre-half Stuart Findlay is out for next week’s league match after his red card in the opener against Aberdeen.

Vrancken has already utilised four centre-back pairings, with midfielder McEntee filling in next to Findlay in the 2-1 loss at Pittodrie.

Jordi Altena and Harry Milne are the only fit full-backs, while Jamie McCart and MJ Kamson-Kamara, who is yet to play a competitive game for Hearts, are the fit centre-back options. New signing Laurent Mendy could also fill in further back.

“We have to see,” Vrancken said. “We have to talk about it. We have to look during the next days.”

Ahead of the ominous Europa League qualifier away to Benfica on Thursday, Vrancken has already added 20-year-old Kamson-Kamara to the European squad in place of Fagan-Walcott, who injured his ankle in the second half of last Tuesday’s Champions League defeat by Sturm Graz.

The Belgian admitted facing the Portuguese giants in the Stadium of Light will be a challenge after his side capitulated spectacularly against Aberdeen, leading 1-0 in the 89th minute before losing 2-1.

“Difficult, difficult,” he said of the trip to Lisbon. “It could help if we win this game. That could help a lot when you go to the next one, especially when you play a top European team.

“But you have to step over the emotion again. And this is in sport, and especially in football, especially when the games come so fast. You have to be able to step over emotions and to be mature in those things, but also learn from those things. Because we don’t want situations like this again.”