Expert discusses Hearts’ “scary” absence of Lawrence Shankland in light of Rangers’ potential January transfer.

In light of January transfer rumors involving Rangers, Peter Grant has acknowledged that Lawrence Shankland’s absence from Hearts’ Scottish Cup match against Spartans would have raised “alarm bells.”

The 28-year-old, who has been continuously linked to a move to Ibrox this month, was unable to play in Steven Naismith’s team’s away game against Spartans due to illness. Some have speculated that his absence was partly due to pressure to leave Tynecastle.

Grant stated that he would have played Shankland regardless of his condition if he had been the manager, even if he thinks the Scotland international was actually sick.

“It’s a bad day to get a cold when it’s a cup tie because that definitely sets alarm bells ringing, especially with somebody like Lawrence who has scored the goals he has done,” he stated in an interview with The Go Radio Football Show on January 22, at 5:10.

He’s a Hearts player in my opinion, and if Lawrence hadn’t stated he didn’t want to play, I would have played him without a doubt. We pay his salary, he is the team captain, and even if he had opted not to play for Hearts, I would still have played him, so he wouldn’t be getting away with that.

“For this reason, you have to believe Steven when he says he is ill.”

It is only reasonable for fans and commentators to believe that a player is attempting to force a move through when they skip a match while they are frequently connected to leaving a club, and Tynecastle will have heard about these concerns.

Three weeks into the January window, no progress has been made on a deal even though Shankland is interested in moving to Ibrox and Rangers need a new number nine this month.

It remains to be seen if Shankland attempted to expedite matters by skipping Hearts’ match on Saturday, January 20, but it doesn’t seem to have motivated Rangers to take any action.

When Naismith’s team hosts Dundee at Tynecastle on Tuesday, January 23, it will be intriguing to see if Shankland is available. If he disappears once more, it would be a clear sign of how “ill” he actually is.

Regarding Ridvan Yilmaz’s possible transfer to Galatasaray, a fresh report regarding the “intense pressure” surrounding the player has surfaced.