Hearts boss Csaba Laszlo is ready to offer Marius Zaliukas help in managing his anger following the defender's fourth red card of the season.

Zaliukas, 25, faces a five-match ban after lashing out at Aberdeen's Chris Maguire in Tuesday night's goalless Clydesdale Bank Premier League draw at Pittodrie. The Lithuanian has already been suspended for a total of 13 games in the last year and his latest loss of control could land his club an £80,000 fine from the Scottish Football Association.

Laszlo said: "It's difficult to speak about what we will do until the season is over. Then we will sit down and discuss his personality, his attitude and how we can help in the future."

He added: "We have important matches to play this season and we cannot split our attention in two or three ways.

"The referee at Aberdeen told me that Zaliukas was sent off for violent conduct, so I must believe him.

"We must talk about this with him at the end of the season because he has to change his attitude. He is a talented player but we need players to have discipline. It is not acceptable to have so many red cards.

"A five-game suspension is very bad. It is painful for everybody, not just him. We don't have many centre-halves for the game against Dundee United on Saturday. The squad is not huge.

"After he was sent off against Falkirk for punching a player, he came to me saying he was disappointed with his attitude and he apologised to the team, the sport director and everybody for losing his head.

"But now he has done the same again - he lost his head, his brain his discipline. We must look to help him, not only punish him, so he doesn't do it ever again.

"We can't always just tell him he will be punished. Now we have to do something special. He must stop making the same mistakes. The club has stayed behind Marius but now he must show character to take our help."