Hearts sign five promising youth players on professional deals

Teenagers make the step up at Riccarton
Five Hearts kids have signed professional deals (left to right): Mackenzie Kirk, Harris Spratt, Aidan Denholm, Michael Aitken and Harry Gordon. Pic: David Mollison.Five Hearts kids have signed professional deals (left to right): Mackenzie Kirk, Harris Spratt, Aidan Denholm, Michael Aitken and Harry Gordon. Pic: David Mollison.
Five Hearts kids have signed professional deals (left to right): Mackenzie Kirk, Harris Spratt, Aidan Denholm, Michael Aitken and Harry Gordon. Pic: David Mollison.

Five Hearts academy players have signed professional contracts as the club promote their latest crop of prodigious youngsters.

Midfielders Aidan Denholm and Harry Gordon, plus defender Michael Aitken and striker Mackenzie Kirk – son of former Tynecastle striker Andy – are all stepping into full-time football aged 16. They are joined by 17-year-old goalkeeper Harris Spratt.

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Denholm has been training with Robbie Neilson’s first-team squad in recent weeks and featured in bounce matches against Sheffield United and St Mirren.

The others are regarded equally highly, with Neilson stressing that all five must now focus on developing their careers at senior level.

“All the players that sign a pro contract are all very good technically,” he told the club website. “What it boils down to is how much they want this and how much they’re willing to dedicate their lives to it.

“They’re 16 or 17 years of age, they have pals who are living a live outside football but these boys need to dedicate themselves if they are to build a career in the game.”

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John Rankin, Hearts Under-18 coach, is eager to see how the teenage protégés progress over the coming years: “I’ve got high hopes for them,” he said.

“They’ve been involved with the Under-18s for the past year but now they’re moving into a day-to-day environment and there’s more pressure on them now.

“We need to try and push these boys on as much as we can and get them to the stage where they’re knocking on the door of the first team.”

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