Hearts form key for World Cup hopefuls

Bouzid is being monitored by Algerian coach Rabah Saadane, who will name his initial squad for South Africa on Tuesday. Milovan Rajevac, the Ghanaian coach, intends to meet Kingston before announcing his provisional 30-man pool on 14 May, followed by the final list 13 days later.

Kingston is the more likely of the two to make the tournament since Bouzid has not represented Algeria in over a year.

Jefferies commented that having a player involved in the World Cup could only increase Hearts' reputation across the continent, although it remains to be seen if the midfielder's contract will be extended beyond its expiry in June.

"We have no complaints with Larry because he's played well in the games he's taken part in," said the manager. "But let's be honest, it's only recently he's managed to get in and start games. He just has to concentrate on playing and keeping that level up between now and the end of the season.

"If anybody gets the chance to go to a World Cup, the biggest stage in the game, it's a fantastic honour for the player and the club he represents. You could have a World Cup player in your midst, and we'd be saying the same if Scotland qualified with Lee Wallace. It's great that a club like Hearts can produce players who can play on the biggest stage.

"I know the boy will want to be involved and it's always a little feather in the cap of the club if you have a player at the World Cup."

Rajevac is in London this weekend to check on Ghana's English-based players, many of whom are currently injured and facing a race to be fit for South Africa, such as Chelsea's Michael Essien and John Mensah of Sunderland.

Rajevac was forced to deny suggestions this week that he does not intend taking Kingston to South Africa. His comments were prompted by a German newspaper publishing what it claimed was Rajevac's preliminary evaluation of his World Cup squad, which did not include the names of Kingston, Roda JC's Eric Addo and AC Milan's Dominic Adiyiah.

"The list is 100 per cent not true," he said. "This is absolutely not true and the list should be disregarded. We need to finish monitoring first before I travel to Accra to discuss plans with my bosses."

Bouzid recently returned from hamstring problems and Jefferies said the Algerian Football Federation have contacted him about the French-born centre-back.

"I think they have him on the radar. I got a call from their FA but he's been unlucky with injuries in our time here. He played in our first game at St Johnstone and then came off in the Co-operative Cup semi-final. I didn't have him available again until the Rangers game.

"We tried to bring him back at one time but he pulled up in a closed-door training game. This time he played two closed-door games and showed me the injury was healed up.

"If he's on the (Algerian] radar he needs to go and play well to impress. He has to maintain form, both to keep his place in the team and if Algeria are watching him. He would need to play well in every game to have a chance of going to the World Cup."

Both Bouzid and Kingston were expected to start for Hearts in today's Edinburgh derby at Easter Road.