BLAIR Spittal dismissed suggestions that lingering uncertainty over Lawrence Shankland’s future at Hearts was impacting on the Tynecastle side’s form when he spoke to reporters ahead of the UEFA Conference League match against Cercle Brugge in Belgium earlier this week.
“Boys running into the last year of their contracts is a pretty common occurrence in football these days,” said Spittal. “Whatever happens happens. We just need to concentrate on what we’re doing. It’s not affected the changing room or Lawrence.”
The Scotland striker, though, didn’t exactly look in the zone, mentally attuned, call it what you will, as the capital club slumped to a 2-0 defeat which dented their hopes of reaching the knockout round play-offs in the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges on Thursday evening.
He shelled a second half penalty, which would have levelled the tie if he had converted it, high over the crossbar and then headed well wide of his intended target after getting on the end of a James Penrice cross in a dangerous position inside the opposition box late on.
Shankland has - despite only netting once, a last-minute equaliser in a William Hill Premiership game against Ross County in Gorgie back in September, during the 2024/25 campaign – actually not been performing that badly in recent months if truth be told.
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The Rangers players will testify to that. He gave them a torrid afternoon and then some at Ibrox earlier this month and was unfortunate that his industrious and intelligent personal display did not help the visitors to at least earn a draw.
But he is primarily in the Hearts team to score goals and on that important front he has very much been found wanting.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke suggested the PFA Scotland and SFWA Player of the Year – he scooped both of those awards after finding the target on no fewer than 33 occasions last term - was suffering from the sort of drought that every centre-forward experiences at some point in their playing days during the last international break.
“I’ve been lucky to play with and work with a lot of really good strikers in my career,” he said. “They all go through little patches where they don’t score. All they can do is keep working hard and getting into the right positions. Eventually the goals will come. Lawrence is fine.”
One thing is for sure. Jambos are far from enamoured with their captain’s unwillingness to put pen to paper. They made their feelings well known on Thursday evening when they chanted, ‘Shankland, Shankland, get to f***!’ That sort of undisguised animosity is not helping anyone, not a club which is toiling or a player who is struggling to net, at all.
The extension which he was offered last season was taken off the table after the two parties failed to reach an agreement. But that was at a time when rumours about Rangers wanting to sign the man who was the most lethal predator in the land were rife. Was he hankering after a move to Govan? The Glaswegian is a lifelong supporter so there is every chance.
But would Philippe Clement be interested now? He selected Hamza Igamane ahead of Cyriel Dessers in the Europa League league phase match against Nice in France on Thursday night and the Moroccan scored two goals in the emphatic 4-1 triumph. He also has Danilo available again.
Would Clement want to swell his squad with a striker who is so out-of-sorts at the moment either in January or next summer? It is highly doubtful. That ship would, if there was ever any interest, appear to have sailed.
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Will there be other managers out there who are eyeing the ex-Ayr United, Aberdeen, Dundee United and Beerschot man? If they can pick him up for a reduced fee in January or for free next July then maybe.
The 29-year-old stressed repeatedly last season that a professional career is short, that he wanted to maximise his earning potential, that he was eager to test himself at as high a level as possible while he could. They did not sound like the words of someone who seemed particularly focused on Hearts long-term. It will be a major surprise if he stays.
But is Shankland capable of playing for a bigger club in a better league? At the moment, that is debatable. He could do far worse than choose to remain at Tynecastle, where the fans previously adored him and where he produced by far the best football of his life, for a few more seasons if they will have him.
It would maybe help him get his mojo back and force his way into the Scotland starting line-up for their Nations League relegation play-off double header and World Cup qualifying campaign next year. He has delivered for his country before and can do so again. However, he needs to resolve his current situation, and resolve it quickly, first.
