Hearts appoint Belgian coach Wouter Vrancken to fill void left by McInnes's Rangers move

Hearts have appointed Wouter Vrancken as head coach, the Scottish Premiership club confirmed, with the 47-year-old Belgian signing a two-year contract after leaving Sint-Truiden. He succeeds Derek McInnes, who departed for Rangers earlier this month.

Vrancken, a two-time Belgian manager of the year, guided Sint-Truiden to a third-placed finish in the Belgian top flight before leaving the club as a free agent. The appointment marks his first managerial role outside Belgium, with Hearts targeting a renewed challenge to Celtic and Rangers in the coming season.

McInnes came agonisingly close to delivering Hearts their first Scottish Premiership title in decades. The Edinburgh club led the table for the majority of last season and entered the final day a point clear of Celtic, only to lose 3-1 at Celtic Park in a dramatic conclusion to the campaign.

Hearts took the lead through Lawrence Shankland, but Celtic levelled from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time before scoring two late goals to seal the championship. The decisive third goal, finished by Callum Osmand into an empty net, came deep into added time — but the match did not reach its scheduled conclusion.

Hundreds of Celtic supporters invaded the pitch in celebration following the third goal, with some confronting Hearts players. Referee Don Robertson ended the game in the eighth minute of stoppage time, with 30 seconds of injury time still remaining, after the pitch invasion made it impossible to continue safely.

Hearts criticised the “shameful” scenes, and questions were raised over whether the match had been officially completed. The SPFL subsequently clarified that Robertson had communicated the game was over and that it had not been abandoned, paving the way for Celtic to be crowned champions.

“Given the speculation about the conclusion of the game, we would like to make clear that, prior to awarding the trophy, we were informed by the match referee that the match had ended and had not been abandoned,” the SPFL said in a statement.

Vrancken now inherits a squad that pushed the Old Firm to the wire and will be tasked with sustaining that momentum — this time from the outset of the season rather than the dugout of a rival.