However, he dropped a hint of a possible showdown between Sammy Adjei and Philemon McCarthy to decide the clubs first choice goalie.
The Serbian trainer of the Glo Premiership leaders indicated on the TV3 morning programme Talk Sports that the signing recently of some senior players did not automatically guarantee them first team places.
For Papic there was the need to strengthen the Hearts team with a view to consolidating their position on top of the Glo Premier League log. However, he was unequivocal in his philosophy that, “everyone must work hard if they want to play”.
With the return of one-time first choice goalie Sammy Adjei and former Black Stars midfielder Hamza Mohammed, both of whom were signed this month in the second transfer window, there is speculation that Coach Papic could sacrifice some of his promising youngsters including Philemon McCarthy who has established himself as a reliable goalkeeper for the Phobians.
Papic believes their foray into the transfer market has strengthened the team ahead of the second round of the season which commences on May 3, but the Serbian was adamant he would put premium on current form rather than be influenced by big name players.
“Every position has two or three players and I will give every player a chance to prove how good they are but the goalkeeping department is a bit different. I will look at Sammy and McCarthy, observe them for a while and decide who the number one goalkeeper is,” Papic explained.
The new signings presents the coach with many options to enable him to go the full hog in the second round. Nonetheless, it presents its own challenges too.
“We must be careful how we go about this but at this stage the squad is looking stronger than it was in the first half of the season,” he said.
Goalkeeper Sammy Adjei was a member of Hearts’ Champions League-winning team in 2000 and for many seasons was the club’s first choice goalie until his stint with professional football in Israel two years ago. Now he faces a fight to recapture the position at a time McCarthy seems to have warmed himself both in the Phobian posts sand in the local Black Stars.
