Lawrence Shankland wants his future sorted asap as he prepares to sit down with Derek McInnes over a potential Hearts stay. The Tynecastle hierarchy have reopened talks with the captain who is a free agent this summer and could play his last game for the club against Kilmarnock today. McInnes is expected to be confirmed as the new boss in Gorgie in the next 48 hours with Shankland his first priority. And the striker insists he wants to know where he’ll be playing before pre-season starts with interest in the far east while links with Rangers refuse to go away. The Jambos are due back in mid-June ahead of the League Cup fixtures starting on July 12/13 and whether the 29-year-old striker returns after the break remains to be seen. Shankland turned down two bumper offers last year and talks were shelved until recently when sporting director Graeme Jones brought the matter back to the table. And Shankland said: “I want to be in at a club for pre-season training. That is important because you want to hit the ground running. Whether it be here or elsewhere, that is something I will need to consider. “So I would not want to leave it too long. I imagine when I speak to the club they will maybe have a time by when they will want a decision which I would totally understand. “If he (McInnes) is confirmed as the new gaffer then aye. I would need to speak to him. There are loads of things you need to think about: the stage you are at, the next step you want to take. “If there is a new challenge open to you then sometimes you want to take that on. “I will need to look at what options I have got and take it from there.” McInnes is poised to complete his move from Kilmarnock to Tynecastle to replace Neil Critchley after it was confirmed he won’t be in the dug out for this afternoon’s final game of the season between the two clubs. Shankland has banged in 68 goals in three seasons at Hearts and last season was named PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year. The Scotland international had four years at Aberdeen under McInnes as a youngster. And asked if the new boss in waiting would have a major bearing on his decision he said: “He would be another person to talk to. “If I’m going to make a decision then I need to have a conversation with the new manager, whoever it might be. “Time will tell on those things. The club have obviously made it known they would like to keep me on again and speak about a contract. “I spoke to Graeme Jones and he was asking my situation. Obviously, my contract is coming to an end, and I knew the conversation was going to come at some point. I had said that in the past. “The manager leaving maybe delayed things a wee bit, but I was quite happy to leave it until the end of the season and just to get on with the football. “I have been comfortable with the situation throughout and the club have been the same way. There has been a lot of respect there and it is appreciated. “I need to discuss things with my representatives and my family as well and if the club appoints a new manager, then that will be somebody I will need to speak to as well.” Shankland only made 17 appearances without scoring a single goal in four years under McInnes at Aberdeen. The Hearts captain admits immaturity cost him a proper crack at top team football in the north east. But with age comes wisdom and eight years on from his Pittodrie exit Shankland can see exactly why the Jambos have turned to McInnes after their own underwhelming spell. Shankland said: “He is obviously a strong candidate for the club and for the job. I know that from my previous time working with him at Aberdeen. “I was young then and never quite managed to break into the team - probably immaturity more than anything else. “I just needed to learn the game and become a man and play like a man. “But I know from the training side of it that he is an enjoyable coach to work with. “He is a good manager too. “He proved that with Aberdeen as I don’t think they finished lower than fourth in the eight years he was there so I can understand why the club would be looking at him. “Even the job he has done with Kilmarnock has been brilliant, getting them promoted and then into Europe – that is no easy task. “Finishing in the top six last year was a real achievement that probably got overlooked a bit.” McInnes won’t be in the Killie dug out for today’s season finale as he closes in on his switch to Gorgie. But Shankland expects the Ayrshire side to be as tough to break down as they would be had he been in charge. And to carry a threat too. As he described Killie’s attacking style he was almost licking his lips. Shankland said: “He does organise his teams very well. Whenever you play against them, they are always hard to beat. “And they can play as well. They are effective in wide areas and put clever balls into the box quite a lot. “They are a difficult team to play against, and it will be a tough task for us. “Going to Rugby Park is always hard under any circumstances and in my case, being an ex-Ayr player, I get a fair bit of stick! “It is always intense. It’s a chance for us to finish with four wins in a row, that would be good. “Through the season we have not managed to string together that sort of consistency so if we could make it four wins in a row on Sunday, it would be a nice way to finish it.” Few Hearts fans will be disappointed to see the curtain come down on a season which promised much but ultimately failed to deliver. Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley were both bulleted, a glaring opportunity to qualify for the knockout stages in Europe was missed, the Scottish Cup semi final ended in heartbreak and back-to-back derby defeats compounded a dreadful campaign. Shankland himself sits on just nine goals having netted 31 and 28 in his previous two seasons. And he said: “This year has been a real test for us as a group, whether we realise it or not. It might be only next year looking back that we see how tough it has been. “We have done well to come out of it, to be honest. “You can get dragged into a real sticky situation, I’m not saying we haven’t been in one, but we have done enough to get ourselves into a comfortable position. “It just shows you that any complacency at all you can end up in a battle, that is something I assume everyone here will be keen to avoid next season. Sometimes that can be a good thing.”