Calem Nieuwenhof will miss Heart of Midlothian's Scottish Cup tie with Greenock Morton and could be a doubt for the Ross County Premiership clash.

The Australian midfielder has been in fine form in recent weeks for the Tynecastle Park side and provided an assist for Lawrence Shankland's goal in their weekend win against Celtic. But he came off in the second half with a hamstring issue.

He was hoping to win his first senior call-up for his country for their World Cup qualifiers this month but has revealed to media in his homeland he could be out for a couple of weeks.

READ MORE: How Hearts beat Celtic: Pressing, variation in attack and Nieuwenhof impact

"It looks like a small hamstring strain - but hopefully I’ll be back soon," he said.

Nieuwenhof, who has emerged as a key player for the team in recent weeks, spoke of his enjoyment of playing for Steven Naismith's high-flying side.

"I’ve been playing heaps and there’s still a lot to play for," he said. "I just want to keep putting in good performances and helping the team out for the rest of the season.

"It took a little a while to adapt - it’s my first time living away from home and it’s a big adjustment. In terms of football, it’s a very different style to Australia. It’s a lot quicker and more physical and that takes time to get used to. I think I’ve learned that over the course of this season. I think I’m starting to hit my stride now with consistent minutes and performances.

"There’s more scrutiny over here but I always try and block out any external noise and focus on what I can do to improve. I take all the advice I can from the coaches and teammates, their opinions mean a lot to me.

"I feel like I’ve added a bit more of an attacking side to my game here, especially in the last few weeks where the boss has given me more freedom to push forward, which I’ve really been enjoying. Coming to Hearts, for me, was all about getting the opportunity to bring out the best in myself."

READ MORE: Hearts chief keen on Steven Naismith contract extension

The 23-year-old was impressed with the way his colleagues dealt with the controversial win over the ten-man Hoops.

He said: "There were a lot of questions being thrown around after the game, but at the time I didn’t realise how controversial it all was. There were a lot of distractions in the game, and with a player getting sent off the match could have gone one of two ways.

"I think we played it out in a very professional manner and took our chances when we needed to.

"We’re happy with where we are - we’re looking up rather than down and the ultimate goal is locking up European football for next season."