Out-of-contract Lawrence Shankland "will score goals" if given the right service, says Hearts interim head coach Liam Fox, after the captain netted twice in a Scottish Premiership win over Motherwell.

The 29-year-old Scotland striker has struggled to emulate his red-hot Hearts form of the last two campaigns, but now has five goals in three games in a late-season surge.

Fox, only in temporary charge, was asked about Shankland's future at the club but said "that is not a question for me to answer".

He added: "All I can say is Shankland has been great for me this last couple of weeks and he's scored some important goals. So we'll see where that one goes.

"If you put Shankland in these types of positions and you do work on how you're going to get the ball to him, he will score goals."

Shankland opened the scoring at Tynecastle with a low shot from the edge of the box after Motherwell misjudged a long ball from Hearts back-up goalkeeper Ryan Fulton.

Then, after the break, James Penrice picked out his captain with a perfect cross and Shankland glanced it with his head into the far corner.

Two minutes later Alan Forrest killed the contest by squeezing a shot inside the far post after Yan Dhanda's shot was spilled by goalkeeper Aston Oxborough.

Motherwell were competitive in the first half and thought they had levelled when Callum Slattery stroked a shot off the turf and into the bottom corner.

However, video assistant referee Nick Walsh spotted centre-back Dan Casey had jumped into the goalkeeper's line of sight from an offside position and, after a check from referee Ryan Lee, the goal was ruled out.

After that Hearts went through the gears to ease Motherwell aside and leapfrog them into seventh spot, with both teams safe from any relegation fears.

Shankland's poor form this season has been as big a factor in Hearts' disappointing campaign as his 31 goals last term were in the club romping to third place.

For much of the season he has looked lethargic, frustrated, and low in confidence as he dropped deeper and deeper looking for the ball.

All that is perhaps understandable when a mooted big move last summer never materialised, and after he rejected big contract offer from Hearts to prolong his stay.

Any deal on the table now will presumably be nowhere near the level it was 12 months ago, but as the season draws to a close Shankland is doing his best to get as much value as he can.

He now has five goals in his last three games and is starting to look more like the lethal player from last season.

His movement in and around the box has been sharper, and his finishing more crisp.

His first goal was well taken from the edge of the box, and his second was a deft header.

Fox's decision to revert to a 4-3-3 with more width and Shankland as the central striker has certainly helped.

For many Hearts fans, though, this might all be too little, too late given the pressure has been somewhat off and they are playing in the bottom half.

But as the club make a decision about just how much he is worth, the captain's upturn in form will give them food for thought.

As much as manager Michael Wimmer said his players are playing for contracts next season, Motherwell have the vibe of a team 'on the beach.'

They secured safety last weekend and realistically are looking to next season when Wimmer will have the summer to build his own squad and instil his playing philosophy.

Slattery was the pick of the players in claret and amber, with a few lovely turns demonstrating his quality in midfield.

His goal - which was ultimately ruled out because Dan Casey jumped in front of Fulton when offside - also showed his attacking threat.

The ball sat rather awkwardly but he managed to find the net by playing it off the grass and into the corner.

Having a player like him fit and back to his best for next season, having missed half of this campaign with a knee injury, will help Wimmer hugely.

Hearts interim head coach Liam Fox: "We had some good moments in the game and scored three good goals. But also the commitment from the players to working hard in this heat and sticking to the plan was there for all to see."

Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer: "It was a bad result. The goals were too easy. There were four shots [on target] for Hearts and they scored three times. I don't want to talk about VAR every weekend, it's always the same.

"I didn't see it [Callum Slattery's disallowed goal] on the television so I don't want to speak about it. What should I say?

"We discuss each weekend, last weekend it was lucky for us and unlucky for Dundee, this weekend it was unlucky for us and lucky for Hearts."