Heart of Midlothian didn’t exactly have a season to remember during 2022/23, despite playing group-stage European football for the first time since 2004/05.
They finished third in their Europa Conference League group, recording two victories along the way, yet this clearly wasn’t enough to satiate the supporters, who had to make do with a poor domestic campaign.
The Tynecastle outfit finished fourth in the Premiership, despite holding a healthy advantage over Aberdeen before Barry Robson’s side overhauled them during the final few weeks, and they failed to even reach the semi-finals of both the Scottish Cup and League Cup, coming as a major disappointment considering they had reached three of the previous four Scottish Cup finals.
Lawrence Shankland was the standout performer for the team, scoring 28 goals across all competitions, however, the Jambos had to go through most of the campaign without the services of both defender Craig Halkett, who missed 45 matches and midfielder Beni Baningime, who was ruled out of the entirety of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury.
The duo are set to return during the early stages of the 2023/24 campaign and this could be a big boost for Steven Naismith, especially as he could revive Baningime, who starred for Hearts during his first few months at the club.
Could Beni Baningime be an important player for Hearts next season?
The 24-year-old began his career at Everton, making 68 appearances for the youth sides before finally making his debut for the club during the 2017/18 season, going on to play in 12 games across all competitions, and it looked as though the Toffees had a talented youngster who was ready to make the step-up.
Despite this early promise, changing of managers at the club led to him dropping down the pecking order, failing to shine during loan spells at both Wigan Athletic and Derby County, making only three appearances combined. The Move to Hearts in the summer of 2021 gave him a new lease of life, however.
The £3.5k-per-week machine not only ranked seventh across the whole Hearts squad for overall Sofascore rating, despite playing just 24 matches, but he also finished second for tackles per game (2.6) and interceptions per game (1.2), showcasing his defensive abilities from the heart of the midfield.
Hearts clearly missed his presence last term, conceding 57 goals in 38 league matches, which is 13 more than the previous season and Baningime’s tenacious nature in the midfield was obviously key to the Edinburgh side finishing behind Rangers and Celtic in third place.
Journalist Ewan Murray lavished praise upon the former Everton starlet, dubbing him as an “absolute sensation” and it’s clear that the club sorely missed him last season.
With Naismith taking permanent charge of Hearts following an interim spell at the end of 2022/23, he could be the man to revive Baningime once he returns from his serious injury and if he manages to get him performing like his first nine months in a maroon shirt, then they will have a great chance of improving on last season.
