Thursday 29 December 2016 19:52, UK
Hearts have announced that Saulius Mikoliunas and Deividas Cesnauskis are leaving the club.
Hearts have announced that Saulius Mikoliunas and Deividas Cesnauskis are leaving Tynecastle, but the Lithuanian players have accused the club of trying to create a smokescreen over their departure.
The two midfielders are on loan from FBK Kaunas but have fallen down the pecking order this season, starting just ten games between them.
They have now been allowed to return to their homeland, with Hearts blaming agents for affecting their 'will' to play for the club.
"Both players have already returned to Lithuania," a spokesman confirmed on the club's official website.
"It is quite evident to us that the players' will to play for Hearts dropped due to the influence of agents, who put their own interests ahead of Hearts and the squad.
"In these circumstances we expect players to be much stronger as professional footballers.
"We cannot, under any circumstances, allow the personal desires of people outside the club such as, for example, agents to disrupt the excellent progress that our team is making.
"Their actions - usually trying to lure the players with ungrounded promises and increasing expectations in order to benefit financially for themselves - are heavily damaging to the team and the club, while putting players' careers at risk.
"As a result, it is most unlikely that either Mikoliunas or Cesnauskis will appear again for Heart of Midlothian Football Club and we shall pursue such a policy for the future in order to protect the club and make it a success financially and on the field."
Mikoliunas is not happy with the statement from Hearts, claiming that he walked away from the club because he is still owed four months' wages.
He said: "I'm sad to be leaving Scotland in this way.
"Unfortunately, I did not make a deal with Romanov in the end and I have cancelled my contract because I have not been paid for four months.
"He said he was not going to pay me if I did not re-sign or extend my contract. I have been paid the Hearts portion of my salary but not the sum from Kaunas.
"I went to Kaunas recently to speak with Romanov and we discussed all things but we could not find a solution to this issue.
"They couldn't find any reason to cancel my contract and so they say something about my agent. Every player has an agent, so for them to say it's his fault is very poor talk. It's not the case."
Cesnauskis has also been angered by Hearts' version of events and has backed up Mikoliunas.
"The story Hearts have put out is just ridiculous. I actually found it quite funny after I read it," Cesnauskis said in the Daily Express.
"Me and Saulius were at Hearts for four years. We really enjoyed our time there.
"It is sad our time in Scotland has ended this way. Hearts are trying to make us look bad and we are not prepared to allow that to happen.
"We were both keen to re-sign but the club wanted to re-sign us on lesser terms and that wasn't something we were keen to do. So when we said no we were sent home and told we wouldn't play for Hearts again."
