Hearts next manager speculation intensifies amid no-show - but 'no surprise' over Tynecastle link

Speculation linking Derek McInnes with the Hearts vacancy intensified on Wednesday after the Kilmarnock manager failed to attend his weekly press conference.

McInnes has emerged as the front runner over the past few days to succeed Neil Critchley in the Tynecastle hot seat with the Hearts board understood to be swaying towards a head coach with experience of Scottish football.

The 53-year-old, who has previously managed St Johnstone, Bristol City and Aberdeen did not take his pre-match media conference at Rugby Park on Wednesday, with his number two Paul Sheerin instead holding court with reporters.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has emerged as the frontrunner for the Hearts vacancy. | SNS Group

“No, I’m certainly not surprised,” Sheerin said when asked about the link with Hearts. “It’s speculation. I just read what’s printed by yourselves and take what comes from that but no, absolutely no surprise whatsoever.

“I think with the job he’s done at Aberdeen – the clubs are similar stature, I’d say, Aberdeen and Hearts – it doesn’t surprise me that he’s linked to it, not at all.”

Sheerin said that McInnes “plays his cards close to his chest” when it comes to dealing with speculation.

When it was put to the assistant that any potential move to Tynecastle might have ramifications for his own future, he stressed it was currently “the manager’s business”.

“Well I’m sure he will and whether that entails me or any of the other staff or not, I don’t know,” said Sheerin when asked if he expected McInnes to talk to him about any developments that might have an impact on his own position.

“I honestly don’t know on that and we’d cross that bridge when it came to it.

“But I’ve been in this position before and that’s the manager’s business and it’s up to him how he does that business so we’ll cross that bridge if it ever has to be crossed.

“Working with him over the years, there has been that speculation and it doesn’t go away and there’s a reason for that because he does his job so well and he’s done his job so well in the past years of being a manager.

“But from our point of view, nothing changes. Speculation comes and goes and we just need to knuckle down to what we’re doing and for us that is preparing a team for Saturday and hopefully picking up three points (at home to Dundee).”