Jamie McCart and Craig Halkett are both in contention for starting places when Hearts welcome Dundee United to Tynecastle Park. Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match is vital for both clubs as they pursue European places, and the two defenders are expected to be challenging for places in Neil Critchley’s team. McCart hasn’t played for a month due to a thigh problem but is now back in full training at Riccarton. The 27-year-old missed the Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over Dundee, plus Premiership matches against Ross County and Celtic. He resumed training last Thursday but was not considered for Hearts’ visit to Celtic Park 48 hours later. Halkett’s last appearance was against Kilmarnock in the league on 25 January. He injured a hamstring after 11 minutes of that match and was substituted. He missed nine subsequent games but returned to the squad slightly earlier than planned on Saturday against Celtic. The 29-year-old centre-back was an unused substitute as Hearts lost 3-0 in Glasgow. A knee injury to the on-loan Costa Rican Gerald Taylor deprives Critchley of an international right-back, leaving 20-year-old Adam Forrester as the only first-team player who naturally plays in that position. McCart and Halkett are both centre-backs but their availability offers Hearts some different options at the back. Critchley spoke to the Edinburgh News about both players and where they are as they look to resume first-team action. McCart has a stronger chance of playing from the start against United, as Critchley admitted he should be fit and ready for Sunday’s game in front of the Premier Sports television cameras. “I would hope so,” said the Hearts manager. “Jamie trained Thursday and Friday last week but hadn't done enough to be considered to start in a game like that against Celtic. After another week of training, hopefully he ticks more boxes in terms of what he can do physically. I would certainly hope he would be available to play on Sunday.” Critchley detailed why Halkett was back on the bench at Celtic Park after more than two months on the sidelines. Fellow defenders Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley are not far behind him on the comeback trail. “With Gerald getting injured on international break, Halks had done a week of full training,” Critchley remarked. “It was possibly a week early for him but he had done enough and he ticked all the boxes physically that we wanted him to. He was happy and felt comfortable that he had done enough as well, so that was a real bonus. He has been out less time than Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley, which is probably when he was closer than the other two. “It's great experience to have his experience around the dressing room. You are always likely to miss guys like Frankie, Kings and Halks. You notice their presence as soon as they are back on the training pitch with their communication and how they handle themselves. They are important to us so having them back fit and available for selection for our run-in will be a big boost.” READ MORE: Dhanda and Forrest Hearts situations explained