The recent cull at first-team level has left Hearts' younger element looking to new sources for guidance. Step forward Karipidis. He may be just 25, but with Champions League experience and two years in Scotland supplementing his formative years in Greece, the centre-back is now integrated into the team's spine and focused on developing his leadership qualities. That leaves contractual issues shelved for the moment.

Karipidis' current agreement expires next summer but he is content for club officials to restart talks in their own time. Until then, a fatherly role is enough to occupy the player's mind.

"I spoke with the club last season about my contract. It was near the end of the season but we haven't spoken about it since," he said. "In my mind I am only thinking about playing well this season, I don't want to think about the new contract. I want to concentrate on training and matches and to work hard now for the new season. That's all. I don't want the contract on my mind because if I think about what's happening I may lose my concentration.

"I will wait for now, but it's not my decision to speak with them. They must come and talk to me if they want me to stay. If the manager wants me to play I will give everything on the pitch. So far we have had one good conversation about the future here. We'll see what happens this season.

"The manager spoke with the experienced players because he wants us to help the young boys, to keep their confidence up. This is very important just now because we have so many young players who need experience. They have talent but we must help them. On the pitch, you need players with experience who can push the team through difficult moments.

"If you have experience, then you must step forward and help. Every team has three or four players who can do this and I feel I can be one of them. You can't step onto the pitch and nobody talks. We must change and be talking to everybody. I must talk with the midfielders, they must then help the strikers and so on."

Csaba Laszlo's influence has impressed Karipidis, the Hungarian's reputation as a disciplinarian earning him a multitude of respect within the dressing room. "For me, discipline in a football team is very important," continued Karipidis. "I think the new manager wants this. He has started with small things, but very important things like timekeeping and training. When he says something we must do it. Every team must have that discipline. Different managers have different ideas on discipline but I think every manager wants discipline in his team.

"We must also think together. If midfield plays well but defenders don't, we have a big problem. We must work with one another and, if we do that, the team will play much better. For 90 minutes everybody on the pitch must be concentrated. We might have three or four players who play well, if the others don't then we are going to find it difficult."

Karipidis fashioned a useful looking central defensive partnership with Christophe Berra last season, one which imbued the Greek with substantial pride. The captain's future has been the subject of much conjecture of late and his colleague is quick to emphasise the value of a Scottish core at Tynecastle.

"Christophe is young but he has experience," stressed Karipidis. "He has been in the team for two full seasons, he is captain, he has more pressure because of that. It's very important for the team that he stays because he knows everything about the team and about Scottish football. "The atmosphere in the team now is okay, the players have tried to stay together since last season and even the year before. We are working differently now under the new manager and we have to give him time.

"He has not been here long but he has watched everything and wants to change some things. He wants better organisation to prepare us better and I believe everything will be okay."

If Karipidis retains his evident faith, those contract talks should be nothing other than a formality when they resume.