Lawrence Shankland is currently mulling over a contract offer from Hearts and interest from elsewhere. His current deal expires in a few weeks and the club captain is undecided on his future. That will remain the case until after he speaks to Derek McInnes, the incoming head coach. McInnes’ input will be a key factor in whether Shankland stays or leaves Tynecastle Park. The Scotland internationalist played under McInnes as a youngster at Aberdeen but was released in 2017. What role McInnes envisions for him at Hearts next season will influence the final decision. Shankland stressed he won’t hurry to commit his future to anyone right now. “He [McInnes] would be another person to talk to. If you are going to make a decision on my future then I need to have a conversation with the new manager, whoever it might be,” said the striker. “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 will take my time with things as I am in no real rush to make a decision. I don’t want to jump at anything at the minute. “I need to discuss things with my representatives and my family as well. If the club appoints a new manager, then that will be somebody I will need to speak to as well. I spoke to Jonesy [Graeme Jones, Hearts sporting director] 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 [Neil Critchley] 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. “If he [McInnes] is confirmed as the new gaffer then 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.” There is no specific timescale in Shankland’s mind but he is clear on one aspect of what needs to happen over the next few weeks. “I do want to be in at a club for pre-season training at a club,” he stressed. “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.” As a frustrating season draws towards an end, Shankland could make his final Hearts appearance on Sunday at Rugby Park. McInnes will not be there having agreed not to take his place in the dugout. His time at Kilmarnock is over as he prepares to make the switch to Edinburgh official next week. Assistant Paul Sheerin and coach Alan Archibald are expected to head east with him. Shankland lashed in 28 goals during his first season as a Hearts player. He hit 33 for club and country last season, but this year has been less productive. So far, he has found the net nine times, including four goals in his last three games. Finishing in the bottom six merely compounded an exasperating period for all connected with Tynecastle. “It has been the most indifferent season since I have been here,” admitted the former Ayr United and Dundee United forward. “The first two were pretty successful, we were always at the top end of the table. This season we have been at the bottom end, and it was really different, the feel around the games and so on. “I feel like we have a changing room suited to being at the top end. We would get into a winning routine and just get stronger and stronger. 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 throughout. We have done well to come out of it, to be honest. You can get dragged into a real sticky situation, I am not saying we haven’t been in one, but we have done enough to get ourselves into a comfortable position. “When we sit down to assess it all there will be a lot of things to take from the season. 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.” Belief within the boardroom is that McInnes is the man to revitalise Hearts. “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,” remarked Shankland. “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. “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. I think 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 too, that probably got overlooked a bit.” READ MORE: New Hearts transfer target