Steven Naismith has revealed that Liam Boyce could be out up to eight weeks as the centre-forward prepares to receive surgery to address an injury to his tendon.

The Northern Irish striker has been out of action for Heart of Midlothian since December, and will remained sidelined for the foreseeable after his injury transpired to be more serious than was first thought. Barrie McKay is also not expected to feaure in training until later in the month.

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Cammy Devlin, meanwhile, has returned to first-team training but Saturday's match against Dundee comes too soon for the Aussie midfielder. Peter Haring has also been ruled out of the Premiership fixture at Dens Park, but January loan signing Scott Fraser is in contention for a place in the starting line-up.

"Cammy’s back with the group training but isn’t ready for squads," Naismith told Hearts TV.

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"Peter Haring’s still dealing with a knee injury picked up at Livingston, whilst Liam Boyce has had a set-back in his recovery and will need surgery.

"That sounds dramatic but we’re looking at a timeline of six to eight weeks for Boycie. His hamstring injury proved to be more of a tendon issue, rather than purely muscle."