Heart of Midlothian supporters will be hoping that the international break has allowed the players to regroup following a mixed start to the season so far.
Steven Naismith has led the club to just three wins from nine matches, although one of those was against Rosenborg in the Europa Conference League qualifier at Tynecastle.
They failed to qualify for the group stages of the competition after a defeat to Greek side PAOK, which was followed up by a poor loss to Motherwell in the Premiership and the Jambos will need to improve when they take on Aberdeen this afternoon.
Although they have scored 11 goals in their first nine matches, Hearts failed to find the back of the net in the four games before the break, while they are still relying far too heavily on Lawrence Shankland.
Last season, the Scot scored 28 goals, which was 15 more than anyone else, and he has carried this form into the current season, already notching five goals and Naismith will surely be looking for him to try and better last season’s tally if possible.
He can't carry Hearts by himself, however, and the loss of Josh Ginnelly, who scored 13 times during the 2022/23 season, has been a blow to the club.
When did Hearts sign Josh Ginnelly?
The winger initially joined the club in the summer of 2020 on a season-long loan deal from Preston North End and made enough of an impression to eventually join on a permanent deal in 2021, with Robbie Neilson praising the player.
He said: “I’m delighted to get Josh in permanently. He’s an explosive player, capable of providing a spark that can swing games in your favour.
“We saw glimpses of how good he was last season and now, with a full pre-season under his belt, he will hopefully go on to be a very important player for us.”
He cost the Jambos nothing having been released by the Deepdale outfit, and he showed glimpses of his talent as Hearts gained promotion from the Championship, despite featuring only nine times.
He even scored in the eventual penalty shootout defeat to Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, and he would go onto to enjoy a productive spell North of the border.
What happened to Josh Ginnelly?
Across his first full season after joining permanently, the Englishman featured 38 times while scoring twice in what was a solid maiden campaign.
The 5 foot 8 gem ranked third across the squad for shots per game (1.6) while also ranking fourth for successful dribbles per game (0.9) as he underlined his attacking capabilities, but it would be last term in which he finally exploded into life at the Tynecastle club.
Not only did he register 20 goal contributions – 13 goals and seven assists – which was an increase on the nine he achieved the season before, but Ginnelly raised his game across a wide range of metrics.
The 26-year-old ranked fifth in terms of overall Sofascore rating due to his league displays along with finishing second for goals and assists (16), shots on target per game (0.7) and successful dribbles per game (1.1) as well as first for big chances created (seven), showcasing a vast improvement from 2021/22.
He formed a key attacking duo with Shankland and although it didn’t lead the club to glory of any kind, they did manage to secure two wins in the Europa Conference League group stage and finished fourth in the league table.
He was even lauded for scoring “a quite magnificent equaliser” against Aberdeen towards the end of last term by BBC Sport Scotland commentator Liam McLeod and these performances were clearly a joy to behold.
Where is Josh Ginnelly now?
With his contract expiring at the end of the 2022/23 season, Hearts worked to keep him at the club, even offering him an improved deal, yet he rejected this proposal and departed for nothing, having no shortage of admirers.
The winger posted an emotional farewell message, saying: "This has been one of the toughest decisions I've had to make but after taking time to reflect I've decided it's time for a different challenge. I'm so proud to have played for this amazing club and I feel so proud to look back and see how far we've come over the last three years.
"I've made friends for life in the teammates that I've met along the way and it's been an absolute pleasure to have played alongside you all. Thank you to all of the staff who coached me through injuries and helped me through one of the toughest times of my career.”
He didn’t remain a free agent for long, as Swansea City snapped him up for free, and he has since gone on to make five appearances for the Welsh side, scoring once and what a goal it was.
It arrived on his debut against Northampton Town in the EFL Cup as the winger managed to get past two players before advancing into the final third and unleashing a thunderbolt which sailed into the top corner as he announced himself in the best possible manner.
His short stint thus far in Wales has already seen his value rise and according to Football Transfers, the 26-year-old is now worth €1.1m (£1m) and if he carries on the form he displayed at Hearts last season, this value will only continue to rise.
It was a blow losing the player, especially for nothing as if he remained at Tynecastle, he could have taken his game to the next level, and it would have generated a major profit for the Gorgie side in the process.
With crucial ties coming up in the next few weeks, Naismith will need to give some of his new signings a confidence boost as there is only so much Shankland can do.
The likes of Alex Lowry, Barrie McKay, Kyosuke Tagawa and Kenneth Vargas are all excellent players and if they are given the freedom their talents deserve, Hearts could soon move on from the departure of Ginnelly.
At present, however, the loss of the £1m-rated man looks to have been something of a shocker.