Elton Kabangu has reassured his Hearts team-mates they are in safe hands after crossing paths with Wouter Vrancken during his time in Belgium.
The winger spent two years at Union Saint-Gilloise while Vrancken managed both Genk and Gent during that same period in the Belgian Pro League.
Kabangu’s firsthand experience of the new Hearts head coach has given the Jambos squad an early and encouraging insight into what lies ahead.
Midfielder Blair Spittal confirmed the squad had little prior knowledge of Vrancken before Kabangu stepped in to fill in the gaps.
Spittal explained: “To be honest nobody really knew much about the manager. I think Elton came across him when he was in Belgium and he had nothing but good things to say about him.”
The 47-year-old Vrancken carries a strong track record, having won the Belgian Cup with Mechelen and challenged strongly for the title with both Genk and Sint Truiden.
Hearts are currently based in Alicante as Vrancken begins preparing the squad for their Champions League qualifier against Sturm Graz.
Spittal said the group is embracing the change in leadership, adding: “It’s all change but sometimes change is good. So we’re looking forward to what the gaffer’s going to implement and stuff.”
The midfielder also acknowledged the tight timeframe Vrancken faces in getting his ideas across before competitive football begins.
“He’s not got a lot of time in terms of getting too much information across to us,” Spittal noted. “As much as we’re going to be working on a lot of things, it needs time at the same time to get to our final destination where he wants us to go.”
The club has endured a turbulent close season following a painful title race that ended in defeat to Celtic on the final day of the campaign.
Captain Lawrence Shankland exercised a release clause to join Rangers, and was swiftly followed out of the door by former manager Derek McInnes, who also moved to Ibrox.
Spittal acknowledged the instability but took a pragmatic view, saying: “It’s just another chance to get in and impress a new manager. We’ll be looking to do that. There’s a good group of boys.”
The midfielder himself had a frustrating season in terms of playing time before finding his footing in the final weeks, building momentum just as the campaign came to a close.
He admitted the title loss hit hard personally, saying: “I never headed out. I had two weeks before I went away on holiday. I never really did anything. I was just in the house.”
Spittal credited his two-and-a-half-year-old son with helping him through the difficult period, giving him a welcome distraction from the disappointment of the final day.
Hearts have moved quickly to reshape the squad this summer, bringing in Calvin Miller, Josh McPake, MJ Kamson Camara, Tom Renaud, Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Sabri Guendouz, Cormac Daly, and Amadou Ba-Sy.
Spittal has been encouraged by the quality the new arrivals have shown in early training sessions, saying: “I think you can see that as well, their quality in training so far.”
With a Champions League qualifier looming, Spittal’s personal ambition is clear, hoping to be firmly in Vrancken’s plans from the very first competitive fixture.
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