Jankauskas says trophy hunt brought him back to Tynecastle

The Lithuanian, who lifted the Scottish Cup with Hearts in 2006, joined up with John McGlynn this week after  being named assistant manager.  The Jam Tarts won the  Scottish Cup at the end of last season but could only finish fifth in the SPL. And, with a couple of training sessions  already under his belt,  Jankauskas believes the Gorgie outfit are capable of improving on all fronts over the next few months.

The former striker knows the Hearts budget has been slashed and that club owner Vladimir Romanov is keen to focus on youth.

But Jankauskas believes the quality of the young player  already on the books at  Tynecastle is high enough to bring more success.

He insisted: “Of course we want success, we have to be  better every day.

“I think last season, Hearts overall had a good season. We won the Scottish Cup.

“But right now we are in transition time because experienced players have gone and many young players are in.

“At training, I’ve seen maybe 30 players on the field with a mixture of first-team and  Under 20s, which I think is good. When I was watching the training session, I saw 17 and 18-year-old players and you can see how good they are. They give it their all.

“Playing with better players who can achieve something will let them step forward. That is our target.”

Jankauskas is delighted to be back in Edinburgh and continuing to build his coaching experience, having spent last season working as assistant manager at Lokomotiv Moscow.

“The time I spent here

brings me good memories,” he said.

“It’s nice to be back in this city.

“Because of many injuries, I couldn’t continue so last year it was a great experience for me to work in Russia and to see a little bit from other angles.

“This is the next step up in

my life, especially at a club

that I know from the inside, working alongside experienced coaches like John, Gary and Darren.

“It makes sense for me, to improve, to see new things, to learn something. I’m looking forward to it.”