Steven Naismith is hopeful that the improvement Josh Ginnelly has enjoyed at Hearts will help persuade the attacker to commit his future to the club.
The former Burnley, Walsall and Preston player – approaching the end of his third campaign with the Jambos – has emerged as a key man this term and is the Edinburgh side’s second-highest scorer with 11 goals to his name.
Ginnelly is out of contract at the end of the season and supporters are eager to see the club tie down the 26-year-old Englishman to a new deal.
“I’m not sure whether he will stay or go,” said interim manager Naismith when asked for an update. “I think the club will want to keep him. He’s had the most consistent season since he’s been at the club.
“The years he has been here, he has progressed from being a new guy in with good attributes, to building his consistency and then becoming a more experienced character in the group. All these factors have been good for him and for the club.
“In his previous moves, he’s signed on thinking one thing and very quickly it’s developed into something else which has not been great for him and he’s not played his best stuff, hence why he came up to Hearts.
“I think this period of his career has probably been the most enjoyable. The club I’m sure are trying to keep him, and Gino’s got a decision to make.”
Naismith was handed the reins until the end of the season following the sacking of Robbie Neilson last month as Hearts search for a new permanent manager.
Asked if he had any input into which of the out-of-contract players the club will attempt to retain, the 36-year-old said: “I make recommendations and stuff like that but at the same time those players could have been speaking to clubs since January.
“It’s been made clear that with the players out of contract, it will be towards the end of the season that things are confirmed one way or the other.”
Naismith has been helping plan a pre-season even though it remains unclear whether he will be part of the new managerial set-up.
“In terms of pre-season, there needs to be a programme there,” he said. “Whether I’m the manager or somebody else is the manager, if we get to the summer and we don’t have that, we’re in big trouble because you’re not going to get a pre-season trip or schedule as you want it.
“As much as we can, we’ve made the decisions, no matter which manager is in place.”
Hearts, who are trying to chase down Aberdeen in the battle for third place in the cinch Premiership, host Celtic this Sunday and Naismith is hoping his team are able to prevent Ange Postecoglou’s rampant side settling into their rhythm early on.
“That’s been consistent with Celtic since the manager came in, that he wants to start really fast and get ahead early in the game, which gives them a lot of control,” said Naismith. “That’s a threat we need to come up against and be brave enough to keep the ball and cause them as many problems as they cause us.
“If we start fast and get the crowd something to back, then they’ll back it and it will be a great atmosphere. Every game at home, that’s what we need to do to get ourselves the backing of the fans which then gives us more confidence on the pitch.
“We did it well against Ross County and hopefully we can do it again on Sunday.”
Kilmarnock 0-5 Celtic: Bhoys capture third straight Scottish Premiership title
Celtic have won the Scottish Premiership for the third consecutive season after a dominant 5-0 win at Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Rangers beat Dundee United 5-2 on Tuesday to make Celtic wait an extra day to secure another league title, but the Hoops brushed aside Kilmarnock with little fuss.
Adam Idah, Daizen Maeda and James Forrest scored in a dominant first half, with Matt O'Riley helping himself to a brace after the interval to cap a memorable display.
Celtic now have an unassailable six-point lead over their Old Firm rivals with one game to play, and they will celebrate their latest crown at home to St Mirren on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Bhoys closing in on rivals
Celtic have won the Scottish title for the 54th time, pulling them within one of rivals Rangers, who have lifted 55.
They have also finished top of the pile in 12 of the last 13 seasons, their only failure to lift the trophy since 2011 coming when Steven Gerrard's Rangers went unbeaten in 2020-21.
Rangers 5-2 Dundee: Cantwell and Wright keep Celtic's title party on hold
Rangers kept Celtic's Scottish Premiership celebrations on ice after Todd Cantwell and Scott Wright inspired a remarkable turnaround to hammer Dundee 5-2 at Ibrox Stadium on Tuesday.
Philippe Clement's side could not afford to drop points in this clash and seemed set to do so after Jordan McGhee bundled home before Antonio Portales headed past Jack Butland in the first half.
Ross McCausland managed to slice the deficit on the stroke of half-time for the hosts, sliding in to convert from Leon King's cross and teeing up a monumental comeback.
The Ibrox crowd were offered further inspiration to keep the title race alive when Cyriel Dessers glanced in from Cantwell's delivery after 52 minutes.
Former Norwich City midfielder Cantwell's fortuitous cross then dipped over Jon McCracken as Rangers hit the front for the first time, before Wright's pair of late finishes sealed the much-needed three points.
Yet this Rangers salvaging act could still matter for little, with Celtic requiring just a point away to Kilmarnock on Wednesday to seal a third successive top-flight trophy.
Data Debrief: Attacking barrage pays dividends
Clement may apportion this victory to Rangers' unrelenting desire to keep the title race ongoing, blasting 31 shots – and 13 of those on target – at the Dundee target for their 3.34 expected goals (xG) tally.
A plethora of attacking opportunities must be credited to star man Cantwell, who created a game-leading six chances – four more than any other Rangers team-mate.
Rodgers hits back at criticism as Rangers triumph puts Celtic on brink of title
Brendan Rodgers hit back at his critics after Celtic overcame Rangers to put one hand on the Scottish Premiership title, with the Bhoys manager suggesting he had been treated "like a novice".
Rodgers' side moved six points clear of Rangers after Saturday's 2-1 victory at Parkhead, needing only a point ahead of Wednesday's trip to Kilmarnock to secure the top-flight trophy.
Soon-to-be champions Celtic have struggled at times after Rodgers' return to the club, though the former Liverpool boss has been hampered by injuries to numerous key players.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda have all suffered from fitness struggles this term, though Celtic have still responded to move within touching distance of the title.
Earlier in the season, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton suggested Rodgers was "going through the motions" after defeats against Hearts and Kilmarnock – and Rodgers clearly took note of those comments.
"From a professional perspective there will be doubt," Rodgers told his post-match press conference after downing Rangers.
"From a personal perspective, I am surprised in a way where I heard somebody saying 'Brendan Rodgers was going through the motions' earlier in the season.
"Now, I get to work between half seven and eight o'clock every day of my life. I leave the training ground between half six and seven o'clock at night. And then when I get home, I have my dinner and probably flip on the computer and watch more football.
"Now, if that's going through the motions, I want to know what every other manager is doing. So, from a personal level, I have been treated like a novice since I've come back here. Like it's my first job.
"However, my first objective is to make sure Celtic win. Part of that is a part of the criticism and I understand that.
"But it's the mentality of the team that is most important to me, and that mentality you can see from where we were, with injuries, how we progressed, how we stayed unified and together, and how we then get to this point where we are nearly crossing the finishing line.
"And we don't just want to cross it, we want to sprint over it. We have two games to go, plus a final, and that is our mentality."
Rodgers and Celtic's celebrations could start sooner than Wednesday, if Rangers fail to beat Dundee the day before.
Another title would mark Celtic's 54th Scottish Premiership trophy and their 12th in the last 13 seasons.
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