Report: Hearts coach Levein says Killian Colombie “not immediate first team material”

Killian Colombie had a very good year for his college - Iona - and with AHFC Royals in USL League Two (aka PDL), but it’s still surprising his presence in Hearts’ training has been quite so widely reported in Scotland: he is fundamentally a 23-year-old with no professional experience.

The reason his trial with Hearts has caused a modest stir is perhaps because the Edinburgh club is suffering a bit of an injury crisis and a consequent dip in form. Hearts head coach Craig Levein spoke to both the team’s injury problems and the new trialist, admitting the former is indeed affecting results (Hearts have no goals and no wins in their last four games). And, in comments reported by Alan Temple for Capital City Press, Levein sought to lighten any burden of expectation that might be weighing on Colombie:

Killian is just a young lad who came in from one of the clubs we know in America. He played in a bounce game and did okay but he’s not immediate first-team material.

Colombie is reported to have a number of try-outs scheduled in the USA, but he’s training with Hearts at the moment - so there’s the chance he won’t make it back to America to show what he’s got to the likes of the New York Red Bulls. Levein’s comments would suggest, however, that Hearts are not quite excited about Colombie’s presence at the club as the Scottish press would appear to be.