Heart of Midlothian have enjoyed a solid start to their 2023/24 season which has seen them remain unbeaten in the Premiership while reaching the Europa Conference League playoff round.

Steven Naismith has enjoyed a solid transfer window too, signing players such as Frankie Kent, Kenneth Vargas and Alex Lowry in order to bolster his squad ahead of another draining season.

They have an excellent chance of securing European group stage football for the second year in a row as they narrowly trail Greek side PAOK 2-1 from the first leg.

Naismith will be without winger Barrie McKay however, as he sustained another injury during that clash last week.

How long will Barrie McKay be injured for?

Naismith discussed McKay’s injury recently, explaining that he could be out for longer than anticipated, saying: "Barrie, I think it's worse than a couple of days or a couple of weeks. We're still waiting to hear back from the specialist. He will probably be out a bit longer than we had hoped. It was strange. He felt it in his knee but the symptoms were showing it might have been calf or hamstring. I think it is more something to do with the knee. Until we hear what the specialist has to say, we aren't going to speculate.”

This could be a big blow for the Gorgie outfit as they chase success, and they will have to make a change to their starting XI ahead of the trip to Greece.

With the left-winger injured for the foreseeable, Naismith could turn to the transfer market or perhaps take a look into the B team for a potential heir, with Bobby McLuckie an ideal candidate.

Who is Bobby McLuckie?

Since arriving at Tynecastle back in the summer of 2021, McKay has shone for the club, scoring six goals and grabbing 19 assists during that time.

Last season, the 28-year-old ranked second among his teammates for key passes per game across the Hearts squad (1.3) while also topping the pile for successful dribbles per game (1.6) and these qualities will be missed due to his injury blow.

McLuckie signed a three-year deal back in April, despite being in just his first professional season, and it suggested the club had high hopes for the player.

Sporting director Joe Savage was full of praise for the 17-year-old, saying: “It’s very good news that Bobby has committed his future to the club.

“He’s had a really impressive debut season in senior football with the B Team and we were very keen for him to stay and continue his development with us.

“Promoting youth is one of our key targets at the club and Bobby is still a very young player, so to see the progress he and his teammates have made with the B Team is exciting.”

Indeed, the youngster has demonstrated the traits which has seen McKay become an excellent winger, as he has registered 28 goal contributions – 11 goals and 17 assists – across 40 matches for the B team, showing that he doesn’t just score, but also creates plenty of chances for his teammates too.

Four goals and three assists for the Scotland U17 team has demonstrated that he can also shine at international level, and it appears as though Naismith has a wonderful young talent who could become a major part of the senior squad in the coming years.