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At Edinburgh, "Hearts" from the "Genk" club for a record £850,000 transfer fee, Bosnian Mirsad Bešlija joins Lithuania national team defenders Saulius Mikoliūnas and Deividas Česnauskis. The future of these Lithuanian players in the Scottish capital's team hangs in the balance - one of the Lithuanians playing on the right side of the field will likely not have a place in the Edinburgh team.
The 21-year-old S.Mikoliūnas, like D.Česnauskis, who plays in the same position, is still officially a member of the "Kaunas" club. Therefore, if he fails to maintain the increasing competition after the arrival of the Bosnian legionnaire, he may have to return home once his loan contract expires.
"I have a contract until January 31st, and what will happen after that, I do not know yet. Maybe I will have to leave the team, because the loan agreement has not been extended. Now all I can do is try to play when I get the chance," S.Mikoliūnas told one of the Scottish newspapers.
"I just have to play well, because if I play average, I will probably have to leave - there are already three players in my position. Before I came here, I represented "Kaunas," so if necessary, I can go back there, but of course, I would like to stay here, where the league is stronger. However, if I have to leave the team, I won't be able to do anything," admitted the defender, who won the 2004 A Lyga championship title with the Kaunas team.
However, even if one of the two Lithuanian national team defenders had to leave the Edinburgh team, he would be replaced by another compatriot - defender Nerijus Barasa, who has been on trial with "Hearts" for some time now. Although a contract with him has not yet been signed, according to one club representative John Murray, it is expected to finalize the formalities within the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, another "Hearts" Lithuanian, Edgaras Jankauskas, also received unpleasant news. The 30-year-old former "Porto" striker is unlikely to help his team for one to two months due to an injury suffered in the Scottish Cup match against "Kilmarnock." After this loss, "Hearts" will likely try to bring in "Liverpool" striker Neil Mellor, with whom negotiations are expected to commence soon.
