Adam Forrester, having started the season as B team captain, has featured in the last seven first-team matches. James Wilson has scored twice in his last three outings for Heart of Midlothian.

Macaulay Tait, however, has found himself, more often than not, watching on from the stands or turning out for the B team. He has just one first-team outing to his name and a handful of appearances on the substitutes' bench.

With Beni Baningime's absence from the last two league games it was a surprise to see Tait not included on the bench at least with few central midfield options available to Neil Critchley other than Jorge Grant.

The Hearts head coach revealed Tait was "very close" to being involved, both against Hibs and Kilmarnock but missed out both times due to how the squad is being managed.

The message to the 19-year-old, who could be involved with the B team this weekend with Baningime's expected return, is be "patient" "trust the process".

"He was very close and he won't realise this, he was very close to being involved in the derby game last week and on Wednesday night," Critchley said. "It's not an easy situation for him at the moment so I suppose in a way he's got to trust us and the process.

"It's not easy for him because I know he's played games last season and I say that comes down to the squad and how we manage the squad moving forward. But Macaulay is a good young player, his attitude is fantastic, he's a good football player and he doesn't realise how close he was to playing in the Derby game last week and Wednesday when he's not even in the squad.

"I won't hesitate to start players if they've been out of the squad or vice versa. I always look at their next game and think who are the best players that I can choose to go and play in this game, whether they've been in the squad or in the team or whether we've won, lost or drawn. That's the preparation and thought that goes into who we're playing against."

He added: "With our young players we've got to provide that pathway and that opportunity for him. Macaulay's had some opportunity at the moment, he's just going to have to be patient and trust what we do."

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Critchley is confident the midfielder will be part of his squad longer-term. But what does it take for a young player to make that step from promising talent to first-team involvement?

The Hearts head coach is in a good position to make a judgement on that having been on both sides as a coach. He was an academy coach at Crewe Alexandra and then Liverpool before making the move into first-team management.

"I think when you reach a certain age, talent gets you in the building but character keeps you there," he explained. "If you want to play for this football club, character, belief, courage is absolute, paramount.

"I'm not saying our boys don't have that by the way. I've been very impressed with some of our younger players and that's a credit to the academy staff and how they've worked with them because they're good people, they're good young men. They've got the right attitude, the right mentality but also if you want to play regularly for this football club, that is a given, an absolute given.

"I always look at character traits, how they train, how they respond in certain situations, particularly after disappointment and I've got to say so far, the young players have been very impressive."