Hearts striker Conor Washington facing three months out

Strugglers Hearts have been dealt a fresh injury blow after announcing forward Conor Washington will be sidelined for three months with a hamstring tear.

The Northern Ireland international picked up the injury in the closing stages of Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Motherwell and subsequent scans have revealed a tear, the club said.

Washington is the latest name on a long injury list at Hearts, which includes John Souttar, Joel Pereira, Ben Garuccio, Peter Haring, Jamie Walker and Craig Wighton.

But the Ladbrokes Premiership's bottom club could be boosted by the return of Michael Smith and Steven Naismith, who are close to making their comebacks.