Stephen Kingsley's absence from Hearts' victory over St Mirren on Friday was a precautionary move according to Robbie Neilson.
The Tynecastle defender wasn't in the squad as the Jambos saw off Stephen Robinson's men but will be back to face Aberdeen in a tantalising clash on Wednesday. The 28-year-old suffered a concussion against Dundee United on Christmas Eve and the Gorgie side followed protocol and while Kingsley could have featured against the Buddies the decision was taken not to include him.
Neilson insists the Scotland cap, however, is ramping up his recovery and could face Jim Goodwin's men this midweek before a crunch Edinburgh derby on Sunday. Meanwhile top scorer Lawrence Shankland looked to suffer a knock during the 1-0 win but the 27-year-old is not facing a spell on the sidelines.
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He said: “Kingsley will be back for Wednesday, definitely. He was touch-and-go for Friday night. We just felt it was a wee bit too early for him. He has been training for the last few days.
"I think Shankland should be fine, he rolled his ankle.
"Cochrane should be alright. He just got a tight hamstring. With the next two games coming up, we thought it was better to make sure he is okay.”
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