Hartley has gone but Gordon remains a Hearts player

The Tynecastle outfit were understood to be keen on selling their most valuable asset during January but no club would meet their asking price.

"He is so experienced and has been so calm through all of this, even though his career is still young," Ivanauskas told the Edinburgh Evening News.

"Craig is the best goalkeeper I have worked with in my managerial career."

The 24-year-old was left out of the side to face Rangers on Saturday and voiced concern at the lack of communication over his future.

But the Scotland international is in line for a return when Hearts visit Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup on Saturday.

Former team-mates Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley have moved on to league rivals Celtic.

Gordon, along with Hartley, flanked Pressley when he spoke out against the regime of Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov.

"A lot of players from last season have left the club and we need to find that team spirit from last season again," added Ivanauskas.

"Paul is gone, but Craig was a leader in the team last year so I am very happy he is still here to help with this."

Earlier this week, Gordon spoke of his frustration with recent goings on.

"The club said they were in the middle of negotiating my transfer and I've not heard anything since," he said.

"I wasn't aware of which club it was - I'm not aware of any interest from anybody.

"I'm only open for suggestions if it is good for my career.

"I've made my decisions so far for football reasons and I'm going to continue to do that. So I'm only going to leave here if it is right for me."