Hearts have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, suffering a crushing 6-0 aggregate defeat that drops Wouter Vrancken's side into the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.

The scale of the loss has raised serious questions about where the Edinburgh club goes from here, with pundits already suggesting this could prove to be a difficult campaign for the Scottish side.

Ryan Stevenson and Tom English examined Hearts' prospects on the Scottish Football Podcast, and the outlook is far from encouraging following such a heavy early-season exit from Europe's premier club competition.

Vrancken's squad now turns its attention to the Europa League third qualifying round — a far cry from the Champions League stage the club had hoped to compete on this season. The path back to European relevance will demand immediate improvement both in form and confidence.

A 6-0 aggregate scoreline leaves little room for debate: Hearts were well short of the level required at Champions League stage. Whether the squad can regroup and mount a meaningful domestic campaign in Scotland remains the pressing question for supporters and management alike.