NORTHERN IRELAND assistant Jimmy Nicholl has urged Kyle Lafferty to join Hearts – and win back his international starting spot. 

The former Rangers ace has emerged as one of Hearts’ top targets following his release from Norwich City, with head coach Ian Cathro keen to bolster their attacking options. 

While an agreement is not thought imminent, sources close to the capital club yesterday indicated that Lafferty is a player on their radar and talks are expected to take place.

Nicholl emphasised the need for Lafferty to join a club where he will be a first-team regular, having started just 22 games in the last three years. The marksman recently lost his place as a Northern Ireland starter to Liam Boyce for matches against New Zealand and Azerbaijan. 

“The Hearts interest doesn’t surprise me at all – I’m sure there are a lot of clubs who would love to have Kyle on board,” said the 61-year-old.

“The most important thing for Northern Ireland, and Kyle, is that he finds a club quickly, starts getting games and scores goals. He has found himself down the pecking order for Northern Ireland and I’m sure that is not what he wants. 

“He needs to be careful that another summer doesn’t bypass him where he doesn’t find the right club. Our [Northern Ireland] squad is meeting up at the end of August for two vitally-important games in September and he will need to be sharp and ready. We are trying to do something special and he will want to be a big part of that. It has been a very long time now that Kyle has been unable to find a club where he will play regularly and I think he realises now that he needs to make the right decision.”

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