Hearts of Oak coach Kosta Papic has cheekily suggested that he inquired about the availability of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he intends to make the Phobians competitive going into the second round of the league.

Papic, who joined the capital-based club for his second stint in December 2020, started well but has seen his side fail to win any of his last four league matches - and they are no longer in the top 10.

Hearts are 11th on the table with 17 points, six behind league leaders Asante Kotoko, after 13 games.

In an interview with Kumasi-based Nhyira FM, Papic admitted his squad needs to be strengthened if they want to challenge for the title which they haven't won since 2009.

But they will sign players only if the right material are available.

“It is not about what I want and it is not about what we need, it is all about available players. I cannot do anything if the player is not available," he said.

"Whichever player I want that is not the issue. I want Messi, but unfortunately, he is not available and I tried Ronaldo and he told me he cannot come."

"Let’s not joke about it, try to understand what is going on. If the player is free and is fitting to the style, fitting the level of the club, in that case, we are going to sign him but if we don’t find that kind of player, we are going to continue with the available players," he concluded.