Hearts welcome 'April transfer window' in battle to topple Celtic and Rangers

Hearts are four points clear at the top of the Premiership, but are without a string of regular starters, including captain Lawrence Shankland and influential midfielder Cammy Devlin, while Stuart Findlay and Ageu have joined their absentee list in recent days.

Hearts could have Oisin McEntee and Beni Baningime could be fit for Saturday’s home league clash with Aberdeen, while Devlin, Shankland, Stephen Kingsley and Findlay are all expected to return in plenty time for the crucial post-split fixtures.

“It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself. It’s easy to think ‘why us?’, ‘why me?’ and ‘why are we getting these key players out?’, but I think it’s unrealistic to think you can get through a full campaign,” said McInnes.

“It’s a league for a reason, you have to get through all these different tests and challenges, and there’s no doubt we’re getting challenged at the minute at such an important time.

“Stuart will be back probably for Motherwell (on April 11), Lawrence will be back for Motherwell, Cammy should be back in two or three weeks, Kingsley will be three weeks, so I do think that once we get through the next four games we’re going to be a bit stronger, ideally going into the final run-in.

“It will almost feel like a transfer window opening up for us in April when we get a few back, so you take the good with the bad as you go through it. For now, we just need to deal with the ones that are fit and available and we’ve got enough in the building to be competitive, to win games of football in the Scottish Premiership and that’s what we’ve got to try and do.”

Hearts now ‘favourites’ for title

Hearts were made title favourites by bookmakers after last weekend’s results left them four points clear of Rangers and six clear of Celtic, who have a game in hand.

“I don’t know about that, I’ve never ever felt we were favourites at any point,” said McInnes, whose side are bidding to become the first outside Rangers and Celtic to win the Scottish title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen triumphed in 1985. “I know that we’re capable of winning games and I know that with 10 games to go there’s still a lot that can happen and we’ve just really got to concentrate on ourselves, whatever people say.

“I’m alright with pundits saying this or that. Pundits are paid for their opinion and I’ve always been good with that, whether they say good things or bad things about us. I’m absolutely fine with that and whether people think we’re favourites or not, or the bookies do, everybody can be wrong.

“Pundits can be wrong, bookies can be wrong. We just need to try and be as right as we can and that’s the intention on Saturday.”