Steve McClaren has questions to answer going into the January transfer window.
Derby County’s hopes of signing Hearts’ Callum Paterson may have been left in the balance after the left-back suffered a serious injury over the festive period.
The Scotland international opened the scoring in Hearts’ 4-0 thrashing of Kilmarnock at Tynecastle before being stretchered off in the second half with suspected ligament damage.
The Derby Telegraph reported that Hearts had been keen on cashing in on Paterson as his contract is due to expire in the summer, with the club’s director of football Craig Levein demanding potential suitors stump up £1 million for his services.
Steve McClaren’s side were one of many clubs reportedly interested in making the move, with the former England manager travelling north of the border to watch the full-back in action against Rangers earlier in the month.
However, a potentially long-term deal could destroy Hearts’ chances of earning an attractive sum from a January sale while preventing Derby from enhancing their squad in preparation for a promotion push.
Hearts boss Ian Cathro admitted that everyone at the club was ‘worried’ about the extent of Paterson’s injury, as reported by the Daily Record, with a long-term absence likely to cause huge issues from both a sporting and financial standpoint.
Furthermore, McClaren will be left sweating due to an injury crisis at left-back with Marcus Olsson joining Craig Forsyth and Max Lowe on the sidelines.
On the flipside, however, the potential slamming shut of Paterson’s January switch could open a window of opportunity to Ikechi Anya, who recovered from a knee injury to replace the stricken Olsson in the recent win over Birmingham.
The Scotland international has underperformed so far, starting only eight Championship fixtures since arriving from Watford, but the prospect of an extended run of games at left-back could give him the chance to prove his worth at the iPro at last.
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