Heart of Midlothian's defensive injury crisis has deepened with left-back Harry Milne suffering a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury. The blow comes as the third-placed Premiership side prepare for a key run of domestic fixtures.

Milne sustained the knee problem during a training session at Papara Park in Turkey ahead of Thursday's Europa Conference League match against Trabzonspor. He had to be withdrawn from the final session and the full extent of the damage will be assessed with a scan after the team returns to Edinburgh on Friday. The club fears the injury could end the defender's season.

Squad reshuffle forced

The mounting absences forced manager Wouter Vrancken into significant tactical changes for the 2-0 defeat to Trabzonspor. With Stephen Kingsley's workload being managed and Stuart Findlay left at home with a muscle issue, winger Rogers Mato was deployed at left-back. Full-back Jordi Altena, meanwhile, played in midfield.

Heart of Midlothian were already without a host of players before the trip. Centre-back Craig Halkett is out until the new year with an Achilles injury, while Tom Renaud, Blair Spittal, Oisin McEntee and Eduardo Agyeu are all sidelined for the foreseeable future. Christian Borchgrevink also pulled up with a hamstring issue just before half-time in Turkey, adding to the club's lengthy injury list.

Forward Claudio Braga expressed the squad's frustration at the relentless injury problems. "It is just bad luck and we hope to bounce back from that," Braga said.

Context of a busy schedule

The injuries strike at a difficult time for Heart of Midlothian, who sit third in the league table with 16 points from nine games. They have lost their last two matches, conceding five goals without scoring against Trabzonspor and Celtic. The team now travels to face 10th-placed Motherwell on Sunday, looking to respond and improve a recent form that has seen them take just four points from the last twelve available in the Premiership.

With the squad stretched, the club is unlikely to look at the free-agent market immediately, but may look to strengthen when the January transfer window opens. For now, Vrancken must find solutions from within a depleted group as they aim to close an eight-point gap to league leaders Celtic. The immediate focus is on the next fixture at Fir Park, where Heart of Midlothian will need to halt their slide without so many key defensive options.

This story first appeared at Daily Record Football