Former Lincoln City defender MJ Kamson-Kamara has been left out of Heart of Midlothian’s squad for their upcoming Champions League qualifiers against Sturm Graz.
The 20-year-old completed his move to Tynecastle earlier this summer, signing a four-year contract after rejecting the offer of a new deal at Sincil Bank. Lincoln received a six-figure compensation payment for the academy graduate.
However, Kamson-Kamara is one of nine senior players omitted from Hearts’ 22-man European squad. According to the latest report, fellow summer signings Beau Reus, Josh McPake and Amadou Ba-Sy have also missed out. Sander Kartum, Yan Dhanda and Elton Kabangu were not selected, while Craig Halkett, Finlay Pollock and Ageu are unavailable through injury.
Hearts travel to Austria for the first leg on Tuesday, July 21, before welcoming Sturm Graz to Tynecastle for the return fixture seven days later. Other new arrivals, including Calvin Miller, Tom Renaud, Sabri Guendouz and Malachi Fagan-Walcott, have been included by head coach Wouter Vrancken.
Kamson-Kamara did feature in Hearts’ final warm-up fixture before the European tie, starting in a 2-1 friendly victory against La Liga side Rayo Vallecano on Friday night. He was replaced by Fagan-Walcott after 62 minutes.
The centre-back joined Lincoln’s academy after previously spending time with Bromley and signed his first professional contract with the Imps in February 2023. He gained senior experience during loan spells with Barwell and Peterborough Sports before making his only competitive Lincoln appearance in an EFL Trophy victory against Grimsby Town in October 2024.
Kamson-Kamara spent last season on loan with Glentoran, scoring five times in 31 appearances across all competitions. His performances in Northern Ireland attracted interest from elsewhere, with Hearts eventually securing his signature until the summer of 2030.
Although he has missed out on an immediate opportunity to play in the Champions League, Kamson-Kamara remains at the beginning of his Hearts career and will hope to force his way into Vrancken’s plans when the Scottish Premiership season gets underway.
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