Five young Hearts players free to find new clubs with decisions to come on three others

Five young Hearts players are free to find new clubs for next season after being told their contracts will not be extended.

Midfielders Scott McGill and Aidan Denholm plus defenders Cammy Logan, Arron Darge and Leo Watson won't be offered new deals. They are free to negotiate moves to new teams for next term with their contracts expiring in May.

Final decisions have yet to be taken on the futures of midfielder Connor Smith, forward Euan Henderson and goalkeeper Liam McFarlane. All three are also out of contract this summer.

McGill, Denholm, Logan, Darge and Watson have been on the fringes of the first team at Tynecastle Park in recent years without cementing a place in manager Robbie Neilson’s squad. Loan spells in the lower leagues gave them useful experience of competitive senior football.

McGill, 21, made four senior appearances for Hearts in season 2020/21 but was then loaned out to Airdrie and Kelty Hearts. He recently joined Raith Rovers on loan until the summer and will then leave Riccarton for pastures new.

Denholm, 19, played for the Tynecastle first team in July 2021 during the League Cup group stages. He subsequently spent time on loan at Berwick Rangers and is currently loaned to East Fife.

Queen of the South signed 21-year-old right-back Logan on loan last week and he will stay at Palmerston Park until the end of the season. Granted a Hearts debut aged 16 back in May 2018, he later made temporary moves to Cove Rangers, Edinburgh City and Kelty Hearts.

Darge, a 19-year-old centre-back, was involved in Hearts’ first-team training camp in Spain during December having previously been on loan at Gala Fairydean Rovers. Left-back Watson, also 19, has been on loan at Bonnyrigg Rose, Stirling Albion and East Fife.