Lawrence Shankland’s Current Form and Upcoming Challenges

Lawrence Shankland, last term’s Premiership top scorer, has recorded only one goal across his fifteen appearances this season. The 29-year-old Scotland striker is in the final year of his contract with Hearts and is expected to be the subject of transfer speculation starting in January. His next opportunity to rediscover his previous scoring form will be on Saturday against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. Shankland has a strong record in this fixture, having scored in six of his last seven appearances against St Johnstone, including each of the last three. He has not yet scored in four consecutive league games against the same opponent, and facing a St Johnstone side that Hearts has defeated six times in a row, with three of those victories occurring in Perth, presents an ideal chance to achieve this milestone. An additional goal would be beneficial not only for Hearts, who are aiming for their first Premiership away victory in ten outings from Tynecastle, but also for Shankland himself, considering the upcoming Scotland international fixtures against Croatia and Poland. While this period may represent a significant challenge in Shankland’s career with Hearts, his existing tally of 60 goals for the club demonstrates his consistent ability to perform.