wages prove stumbling block for inverness as hearts reject loan deal for forward
Caley Thistle cool on Elliot following arrival of Rooney
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Caley Thistle manager Craig Brewster may drop his interest in Hearts forward Calum Elliot after taking Stoke City attacker Adam Rooney on trial.
The Tynecastle club turned down an approach from Inverness to take Elliot, 21, on loan and Brewster will now assess Rooney, 20, an Irish under-21 international, on the club’s pre-season tour of Denmark.
He said: “The offer we put to Hearts to take Calum Elliot on loan was knocked back.
“They wanted us to pay more of his wages for a season long loan than we wanted to.
“I don’t know what Hearts thinking on it is, whether they want a fee for the player or not.
“I think he might be going down to MK Dons for a week and Hearts have got to decide where the best place for Calum to go is, whether it is Inverness or down south where they will get more money.
“It is not just about money, it is the player’s development which I think is important.
“They might get a few hundred more pounds from a club in England, but will it enhance him going to another club?”
Brewster plans to play Rooney, who has had loan spells at Yeovil Town, Chesterfield and Bury in the last two seasons, against Danish First Division side Lolland-Falster Alliancen tonight.
He added: “Adam is up from Stoke and I have been talking to their manager, Tony Pulis, for a while about him. I am delighted to have him with us.
“He was out at Bury and Chesterfield for six months each and I am looking forward at how he does for us in the games.
“He is here for the whole week with us and it would be a loan move if we got him.
“This week is about Adam taking a look at us, as he does not know much about Scottish football although he heard about how well Anthony Stokes did at Falkirk.
“Irish players have done well in Scotland and they have a real hunger to do well.
“He looked comfortable in training and I am looking forward to seeing him in action.
“I will give a few of the younger players a run out and I will rest some of the guys who played against St Johnstone on Saturday.
“Iain Vigurs will definitely start, as will Rory McAllister and Jamie Duff and I will play some of the experiened players as well.”
