Heart of Midlothian suffered an agonising 2-1 defeat to Greek side PAOK in their Europa Conference League qualifier on Thursday evening.
With the match finely poised at 1-1, Lawrence Shankland scored a stunning goal which looked to have given Hearts the lead. It was chalked off, however, and Andrija Zivkovic netted the winner 15 minutes from time with a wonderful strike.
It wasn’t the result Steven Naismith would have hoped for, yet it showed that there wasn’t much between the two teams, and given how many young talents he has at his disposal such as Alex Lowry, Hearts could respond well next week.
How has Alex Lowry performed at Hearts?
The young midfielder joined on loan from Rangers, and it could turn into a stroke of genius from Naismith.
He has played five times so far and grabbed two assists while demonstrating glimpses of his vast talent during his two appearances in the Premiership.
Averaging just 45 minutes per game, the 20-year-old has taken 33 touches per match while making one key pass and one tackle per match, suggesting that he is comfortable getting on the ball and trying to make things happen, while also looking to win the ball back.
Having burst onto the scene in January 2022 by scoring on his Gers debut in the Scottish Cup, he couldn’t quite become a regular starter last term due to injury issues, and a loan spell looked like the best option.
There is no doubt a move to Hearts will aid his development. Naismith will only benefit from his presence for a year – however, could he perhaps unearth his own Lowry with a teenage starlet from the B side in Callum Sandilands?
Who is Callum Sandilands?
The 17-year-old joined the Gorgie side back in 2021 following his release from Rangers, and was previously lauded by John Rankin, who was the Hearts U18 manager at the time.
He said: "Callum first came in on trial back in June and really impressed us.
"He’s a goalscoring midfielder who brings so much energy to the team and he can also play in a number of positions across midfield.
"He’s got good vision and technical ability and, equally as important, has a fantastic attitude.
"I believe Hearts is the perfect place for him to continue his development and I look forward to seeing him progress over the coming months and years."
High praise indeed for someone so young, and his time in Edinburgh has enabled him to gain some crucial game time for the B team.
He has played across a few positions over the previous two seasons, most notably in an attacking-midfield role, yet the teen can also operate wide on the right or slightly deeper if required.
Like Lowry, Sandilands is a goalscoring midfielder who tends to push forward as often as possible, and across 41 matches for the B side, he has racked up an impressive 18 goals and four assists.
Yet to make his senior bow, Naismith could change that this term, especially if they do make the group stages of the Europa Conference League, with squad rotation vital to keeping the starting XI fresh.
The manager should enjoy Lowry for the single campaign he will spend at Tynecastle, but in Sandilands, he could unearth his very own wonderful talent who could go on to emulate what Lowry has already achieved.