Hearts send forward out on loan to SPFL side - with a key clause in the deal
League One Montrose have taken Callum Sandilands to Links Park
Teenage Hearts forward Callum Sandilands has returned to Montrose on loan for the 2025/26 campaign. The League One club agreed a season-long arrangement with their Premiership counterparts after Sandilands’ impressive loan spell at Links Park last term.
Hearts have a clause in the deal which would allow them to recall the 19-year-old in January. However, the initial plan is for him to spend the season with Montrose to gain more first-team experience within the Scottish Professional Football League. The move was confirmed in a statement from Tynecastle Park.
It read: “Callum Sandilands has joined Montrose on loan, subject to SFA approval. The attacking midfielder enjoyed a productive spell at Links Park last season, featuring in 17 league matches for the Mo' and scoring on three occasions.
“Sandilands will now return to Stewart Petrie’s side for the upcoming 25/26 season, with the Jambos holding a recall option in January. All the best at Links Park, Callum.”
Sandilands is the fifth player loaned out by Hearts this summer as new head coach Derek McInnes manages a huge first-team squad of more than 30 players. Defender Lewis Neilson was sent to Falkirk, midfielder Macaulay Tait joined Livingston, goalkeeper Liam McFarlane headed to Alloa Athletic - all on season-long loan agreements.
Teenage centre-back Kenzi Nair, captain of the Hearts B team, signed for Spartans on a new co-operation loan which allows him to play for both his parent club and the League Two side throughout the season. Hearts also allowed midfielder Aidan Denholm to join Tait at Livingston, although Denholm left Tynecastle permanently to sign a three-year contract in West Lothian.
SPFL Premiership kick-off as Hearts host Aberdeen in Edinburgh
McInnes is now focused on preparing his squad for Monday’s Scottish Premiership opening match against Aberdeen at Tynecastle. With the signings of Burkinabe forward Pierre Landry Kabore and Icelandic midfielder Tomas Bent Magnusson imminent, he will need to integrate more new recruits at Riccarton over the coming days.
Hearts coasted through Group E with four wins and 16 goals scored to earn a seeding berth for the last-16. They then were drawn away to St Mirren in a tie which is due to take place in the middle of next month. There is increasing anticipation among supporters for the league campaign starting and McInnes has plenty selection dilemmas to mull over.
He said he is content with the options available and will try to pick his best side. “I think when everybody puts their best foot forward and there's a lot of people putting their hands up to play, and that's great for a manager, but obviously, they can only pick 11,” he commented. “Sometimes I've been charged a team and you try to pick eleven and the best XI doesn't look great and you're not sure you can win that game.
“I think I could pick so many different XIs and I'd feel confident we could compete and get results. So I've got an idea about how I want to play and some of the players within that, but training is important.”