Ex-boss Ivanauskas tells Zaliukas to cement his place in Hearts' folklore

AT home in Lithuania, Valdas Ivanauskas noted with interest the news filtering through from Scotland last week that his compatriot Marius Zaliukas had signed a new three-year contract with Hearts.

If it was tough negotiating with the Tynecastle hierarchy and enduring banishment from the first-team squad, Ivanauskas, pictured bottom right, believes Zaliukas will soon face a more vexing dilemma. The former Hearts head coach anticipates serious offers arriving for the 27-year-old once January's transfer window opens.

Depending on the value, Hearts could be tempted to sell their captain despite the recently agreed deal guaranteeing him a future in Edinburgh until 2013. Ivanauskas cautioned against hasty decisions from either party should his prediction come to pass.

It was he who helped bring Zaliukas to Hearts on loan from FBK Kaunas in 2006 and he has watched the player progress as a footballer and a person during the intervening period. He evens labels him a true "Scottish man", so much has he adapted to life in Edinburgh.

Speaking exclusively to the Evening News, Ivanauskas advises Zaliukas that he would be best served staying with Hearts to further his development. "It's very important he stays because he has been in Scotland four years now and he is a very important player for Hearts," said Ivanauskas.

"I don't know the full situation about the new contract but Marius is one of the best players in Scotland. In my opinion, he has a good chance to stay at Hearts but he will also have a chance to move to other countries.

"He is a foreign player and he can choose to stay. In the summer he was made captain and that was a big chance for him. However, this is football and your life in football is not so long. If he has a good chance to go to another team, where maybe the financial situation is better, this is football life. But my opinion is he must stay with Hearts."

The new contract made Zaliukas a permanent Hearts player after four years on loan from FBK Kaunas. Speaking after inking his signature, he talked of future success at Tynecastle and gave no indication of an inkling to leave.

"I am very happy to have signed a new contract with Hearts," he said. "All I want to do is focus on my football now, keep learning and improving as a player and try to bring more success to Hearts. "We have had an encouraging start to the league this season but we have to keep the good work going, maintain our momentum and try to keep the pressure on the teams above us."

It was only four months ago that Hearts manager Jim Jefferies appointed Zaliukas club captain, so talk of a departure should really be premature. However, as Ivanauskas knows full well, it is a favoured policy of majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov to hold players on lengthy contracts to ensure a maximum transfer fee later. Craig Gordon, Roman Bednar and Christophe Berra are all prime examples where astute player handling has resulted in financial reward, with all three now plying their trade in England's Premier League after transfers which earned Hearts a combined total of almost 14?million.

In the case of Bednar, the Czech striker, he initially arrived at Tynecastle on loan from Kaunas in July 2005 before signing a permanent contract 12 months later. He was loaned to West Bromwich Albion for season 2007/08 and secured a permanent 2.3m move to The Hawthorns in June 2008, his goals having helped the club secure promotion from the Championship.

Berra, too, switched south to Wolverhampton Wanderers whilst they were still a Championship team. He spent five months helping the club gain promotion and is now an established member of the team in the Premier League.

Zaliukas may find a similar option open to him in January with Championship scouts already well aware of his capabilities. Previous interest from clubs in Moscow could also be rekindled.

His form this season has been impressive and the fact Hearts struggled badly when he was excluded from the team due to excessive wage demands points to him being a critical part of the side. Of the five SPL games he missed, three were lost and one drawn with no clean sheets recorded. Since Zaliukas was reinstated at Pittodrie last month, Hearts have won five of their last six outings and managed five clean sheets in the process.

All of which means he would be sorely missed in the event of a transfer. "Marius is now an established player in Scotland, he speaks English and I think it's very important for any new player to do that," added Ivanauskas. "You must learn the language and the culture if you move to a new country. I think Marius is now like a Scottish man. He is a big player for Hearts."

Ivanauskas believes Zaliukas is a guaranteed starter for Lithuania provided he is playing regularly at club level. Raimondas Zutautas, the country's national coach, left Zaliukas out of last month's defeat to Spain in Salamanca, labelling him "weak" due to lack of games in Scotland at the time.

He was named in the squad for Lithuania's friendly against Hungary in Szkesfehrvr last night, alongside Hearts team-mate Arvydas Novikovas, but had to withdraw after being advised by doctors not to fly due to a head knock.

"He did not play in Lithuania's last games but I know he will get a chance again," said Ivanauskas. "The other central defenders in the Lithuania squad are good, but in my opinion Zaliukas must play. The next competitive games for the national team are not until next year and I think whether Zaliukas has a new contract, a new team or the same team, he will have a big chance to play in the national team."