The 'generational talent' Hearts could face in Europa League showdown as Kagawa seals exit - Tynecastle latest

If Hearts do end up taking on Viktoria Plzen for a spot in the revamped Europa League group stage, then they'll be facing a "generational talent" in Jiri Maxim Panos.

That's according to Plzen boss Miroslav Koubek, who pitched the 16-year-old into their third qualifying round first leg clash with Kryvbas KR. And he was rewarded big time as Panos kickstarted the second half turnaround in Slovakia that means Plzen will take a lead back to the Czech Republic for next week's second leg, which Hearts will be watching closely.

The teenage talent drew the visitors level just three minutes after the break before Daniel Vasulin struck a second with just over 20 minutes to go. The result puts the Czechs firmly in the driving seat to reach the Playoff round and tee up a trip to Tynecastle, where the losers will drop into the Europa Conference League.

Koubek admitted he had concerns over Panos' ability to handle the physical side of things - which will be tested by Steven Naismith's side in Gorgie if they go through - but the youngster's ability shone through in training to banish those worries and earn him a starting spot.

"We considered it, of course," Koubek told Blesk. "The idea came to us immediately after the match in Jablonec, it was born there. I felt we needed to bring something different to the midfield than we had there in the 3-4-3 system. We decided on a very creative player, he has an excellent football mindset.

"Of course, my fellow coaches and I were worried about whether he would be able to handle it physically and in a fight. But when we see him in training... We asked how he sees it, communicated with him. The result was that we are going to do it.

"As I've gotten to know him more over the past two months, I'm