Laszlo slams Kingston over lack of commitment to Hearts

Kingston, 28, played in Ghana's World Cup qualifying victory over Sudan on Sunday and last night's friendly defeat by Japan, both against the wishes of Laszlo. He has appeared just twice for Hearts since February, when he injured a hamstring against St Mirren, and had his pre-season preparations interrupted by fitness problems.

Laszlo will seek urgent talks as soon as his player returns to Edinburgh, and today he outlined his discontent with Kingston's attitude. "We would like to handle the situation very clearly," said the manager. "If you are a professional player, your duty is to improve every day, to give 120 per cent in training, to be always better and better and better.

"If you only come in my dressing room to keep your fitness, you can always go. You can do this in an amateur team. The door is always open for you to go out."

Laszlo added that he believes every player's loyalty should first and foremost lie with their club. "If you don't do this, you are not a professional sportsman, you are an amateur," he said. "It's also our duty as a club to defend ourselves and tell everybody we are not here to pay wages, to help his fitness and then he would like not to do his job.

"What if you go to the office and tell your boss, 'okay, I am here, but I don't have any passion here'? My passion is to go in the afternoon and meet some friends. But give me the money and pay the wages'."

"You are an employee of the club. You get your performance for the national team from the club. I was myself a national coach (with Hungary] and my duty was also to go always to the clubs to talk with the club managers and coaches.

"I always picked the players who were in the best form and not just names. To ignore the club at this level is very strange for me and also I think this is not okay. This club is not Larry Kingston; this club is Heart of Midlothian."