The attacking midfielder had been on trial at English Championship side Preston North End and scored in a friendly yesterday against Bamber Bridge. The 22-year-old did enough to impress manager Ryan Lowe as he has now been announced on a one-year-deal, with the option of an extra year.

The Liverpool academy product joined Hearts on loan at the beginning of last season but failed to live up to expectations. The Wales international did manage 30 appearances in all competitions, scoring three times and providing two assists as the Jambos booked third place and a spot in Europe.

Despite initial reports the Edinburgh side were keen to bring him back permanently, Robbie Neilson didn't follow that up and Woodburn was left to explore other options.

Lowe took him on trial having tried to sign him at previous clubs, and Woodburn could come up against Hearts in a few weeks at they travel to Deepdale for a pre-season friendly on July 20.

Woodburn told the PNE website: “I’m very excited for the deal to be done. Obviously I’ve been on trial for a week now and things have gone pretty well, so I’m buzzing to get started as a Preston player.

“Obviously when I got called and told I could come and train, I was buzzing. I wanted to show the gaffer what I could do, luckily I’ve earned a contract out of it.

“He’s tried to get me at his older clubs a few times and unfortunately things haven’t worked out there, but now we can work together and I’m a fan of how he plays football, so I’m really excited to get going.”

Ben Woodburn's Hearts loan deal and Liverpool contract expired in the summer

Manager Ryan Lowe said: “Ben’s someone I’ve taken a real interest in over the past few years since he burst on to the scene at Liverpool at a young age.

“He’s a fantastic lad with a fantastic talent who’s had it up and down over the past few years, but we feel that at the tender age of 22, we can develop him into a top player for Preston North End.

Ben Woodburn set to face Hearts after finding new club in England