Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken is dealing with the worst injury crisis of his career ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Conference League match away to FC Thun. Midfielder Tomas Magnusson and winger Calvin Miller were both forced off before half-time during Sunday’s 1-2 Premier Sports Cup semi-final defeat to Hibernian at Hampden Park, taking the Edinburgh club’s list of unavailable players to ten.
“Nothing like this. Not even close,” Vrancken said after the defeat, according to the Edinburgh Evening News. The Hearts head coach admitted he faces a difficult task putting a team together for their upcoming fixtures, with some players potentially having to fill in outside their usual positions.
Magnusson left the pitch after suffering a first-half head injury. He initially passed an on-pitch concussion test, but Vrancken said the midfielder later struggled to keep his balance and could not continue. He was taken to hospital for further assessment.
In the latest update available on Monday, 2 November, the club had not publicly confirmed a diagnosis or a return date, meaning it remains too early to describe the problem as a confirmed concussion or set a recovery timetable.
Miller was also substituted before the interval following an earlier collision with Hibernian’s Martin Boyle, and he was seen wearing a protective brace after the match. Vrancken said the winger felt discomfort on the outside of his knee. Hearts were waiting for a scan, expected on Monday or Tuesday, before judging the severity of the injury.
Eight other players were already unavailable for the semi-final. Craig Halkett, Oisin McEntee, Harry Milne, Tom Renaud, Blair Spittal, Christian Borchgrevink, Eduardo Ageu and Rogers Mato all missed the trip to Hampden.
Ageu has returned to individual work on the pitch but has not yet rejoined the main training group, while Vrancken was unsure whether Mato would be available this week. Stuart Findlay did return to the squad on Sunday, giving Vrancken at least one extra option after a difficult spell of defensive absences.
Vrancken felt the two first-half substitutions disrupted Hearts’ rhythm against Hibernian. His side had started well and took a fourth-minute lead when Cláudio Braga headed in Miller’s corner. Losing both Magnusson and Miller broke up the connections in the team and forced Hearts to look for a new balance during an important spell of the game.
Boyle equalised for Hibernian before Jamie McGrath scored to put them ahead before half-time. Hearts improved after the break and created chances, but they could not find an equaliser. The defeat ended Hearts’ hopes of reaching the Premier Sports Cup final, where Hibernian will now face Rangers after coming from behind at Hampden.
With limited room to rotate his squad ahead of a busy run of games, Vrancken said his staff will assess their remaining options over the next few days and consider positional adjustments. He also urged the players who are fit to take responsibility rather than use the injury list as an excuse.
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Hearts now travel to Switzerland to play FC Thun on Thursday, 5 November, with kick-off scheduled for 18:45 CET. Both sides are chasing their first win in the 2026/27 UEFA Conference League league phase. Hearts have taken one point from their opening two fixtures, drawing 1-1 with Nordsjælland before losing 2-0 away to Trabzonspor, while Thun lost their first two matches against Twente and Hajduk Split.
Vrancken’s immediate priority is to establish which players are fit enough to travel and how best to cover the gaps in his side as the club waits for Miller’s scan results and further news on Magnusson.
