Jim Jefferies must wait for Vlad call on Zaliukas

JIM JEFFERIES was today waiting to learn if he'll be granted permission from Lithuania to play contract rebel Marius Zaliukas in tomorrow's home clash against Motherwell - with the Hearts manager's need to recall his captain intensified by an injury doubt over Ismael Bouzid.

Jefferies wants to restore Zaliukas to a defence which is ravaged by injury and suspension and still reeling from their potentially confidence-sapping Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat at Falkirk on Tuesday.

With Lee Wallace injured long-term, Craig Thomson suspended and Bouzid, who had emerged as the senior figure in defence in recent weeks, now in a race to be fit, Jefferies hasn't given up hope of being able to persuade Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov to let banished captain Zaliukas, who is fit again after injury, return to the side for the first time since last month's visit to Hamilton.

With Jefferies not giving much away, it remains unclear whether any potential return would merely be on a one-off emergency basis or as a result of the player signing a new contract. If Bouzid fails to shake off his knock and Zaliukas is unable to feature, Darren Barr, who suffered a particularly harrowing evening against his old club on Tuesday, will find himself cast as the senior defender, partnered by either Adrian Mrowiec or Eggert Jonsson, with Jason Thomson expected to come in at right-back after missing the last two games with a virus.

"It will be later on before I hear if there's any change in the Zaliukas situation," said Jefferies. "The agents are talking together so we'll just need to see what happens. But Jason's had a full week's training and he'll be added to the squad."

Jefferies also revealed that the in-form Suso is a slight doubt.

"He took a knock against Falkirk and missed training yesterday after it stiffened up so we'll need to see how he is," said the manager.

Other matters occupying the manager's mind are whether to risk giving the Tynecastle crowd a boost by naming Rudi Skacel and Stephen Elliott among his substitutes.

The Czech complained of a tight hamstring on Tuesday but trained yesterday and will hope to make his second debut for the club, while Jefferies revealed that Elliott has looked sharp in training this week and has a decent chance of making the squad.

"I'm none the wiser about Skacel," Jefferies continued.

"We'll ask him how he feels after training before we name the squad, but the last thing we want to do is rush him in and then lose him for a few weeks like we did with Stephen Elliott.

"We'll also check on Stephen after training. Gary Locke had some of the injured boys in on Tuesday and got them a game against the younger boys and he said Stephen was looking extremely sharp.

"It depends how he feels but I'd imagine he'll be bursting to get involved if the physio gives him the all-clear."

Ian Black has a chance of returning after missing the trip to Falkirk with the ankle knock he sustained at Inverness last week but Andrew Driver is still not ready.