Hearts hero Rudi Skacel is a wanted man in Gorgie

JOHN McGlynn squirms uncomfortably in his seat when asked if he plans to re-sign Rudi Skacel. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the Hearts manager would like to have the Czech midfielder back, but there are many reasons why he cannot say so.

The player is under contract with Dundee United, today’s opponents at Tynecastle. Hearts are hamstrung by a transfer embargo, although they are challenging its legitimacy. And, even if they could overcome all of those obstacles, there are some who think that it would be morally wrong to sign anyone after the fans have stumped up a seven-figure sum just to keep the club alive.

Skacel, whose short-term deal at Tannadice will expire at the end of January, is a God-like figure to the Hearts support, who will never forget his two spells at the club. In each of them, he won the Scottish Cup, most memorably with a 5-1 thrashing of Hibs in last season’s final.

In honour of that scoreline, the player now wears 51 for United. He left Hearts last summer but, when he returned to train with them earlier this season, there was speculation that a return was imminent. Last month, he was to be found pulling pints at a fundraiser in Edinburgh’s Brauhaus bar.

“That’s a good indication of where his heart lies,” says McGlynn. “He had two really good spells at Hearts. It’s really difficult for me. We’ve just raised £1 million to save the football club so it’s hard to balance that up. It’s not an option available to me just now. It’s hypothetical.

“We obviously tried [at the start of the season] and it didn’t happen. It’s difficult. We have a transfer embargo, and we don’t know whether that will be lifted. I would not want to commit on that and it is maybe a bit unfair on Dundee United, given we are about to play them.”

Hearts will just have to settle for watching Skacel in opposition colours this afternoon.

With talk of a 51st-minute ovation, it is shaping up to be a surreal, and slightly awkward, experience for the 33-year-old player, whose choice of shirt number has already put Peter Houston in a spot. The United manager apologised to Hibs fans when he was told what it meant.

Marius Zaliukas, the Hearts captain, has joked – at least, we hope it was a joke – that he will join in the tribute six minutes after the interval. Goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald, pictured, also sees the funny side. “It will be a strange experience. If I’ve got the ball, I’ll be delighted because I’ll be thinking it’s for me. I’ll start waving, and saying ‘thanks’.”

At the moment, no player wears 51 at Tynecastle, which is another reason for the club to bring Skacel back. A replica jersey with Skacel’s name and number on it would earn them a small fortune at a time when they need to seize every conceivable financial opportunity.

“I’ve not done my homework on that, but someone on the commercial side of things might have,” added McGlynn. “When Gazza went to Rangers, when Beckham goes anywhere, he’s going to sell loads and loads of things. It could be like that here.”

McGlynn acknowledges that the level of adulation for Skacel is unusual. When the manager was Hearts’ first-team coach, and the player was in his first spell at the club, he could see it developing.

“He always had a special rapport with the fans. When he went over to take a corner kick, he would be the one waving his arms and getting the fans geed up, and they responded every time. He also did the celebration where he taps his foot – just hallmarks that he made his own. There were many good players at the time, but the fans really took to Rudi. He is a gentleman too, and I’m sure he came across well at any fans’ functions he attended. More than that, he scored goals – key goals.”

Houston has said that he would like nothing better than to see him score a couple this afternoon. Although Skacel had nine stitches inserted in a leg wound sustained last weekend, he was expected to recover in time for today’s visit to Tynecastle.

At least McGlynn knows what to expect. The key, he says, is not to let him have a shot with his left foot, which is easier said than done.

“He always had a great recognition of where the ball was going to land. He has terrific anticipation. He was the same in 2006, with [Edgaras] Jankauskas and [Roman] Bednar. He would be up there sniffing around the box and, as soon as the ball dropped, he would be there to pounce, a freakish amount of the time.

“He has a terrific left foot. I’ve seldom seen someone strike the ball as well or as hard as Rudi.”

McGlynn, in fact, has been asking his wide men to do what Skacel was good at, namely drifting infield to get a sight of goal. Not enough players in the current Hearts team get themselves into scoring positions.

“Our two wide players here just go up and down that line. When the ball landed on the edge of the box Rudi was there to score. I’m trying to get guys like Andrew Driver and [Arvydas] Novikovas to play a similar role. Someone might crop up and play that position. Rudi scored 18 goals last year for Hearts. We’re missing someone who can score 18 goals this season.”