Lewis Neilson is set a challenge for his return to Hearts from Partick Thistle

Coaching staff are eager to see the improvement in the young defender

Lewis Neilson has been told a regular Hearts first-team place is within his capabilities when he returns from his loan spell at Partick Thistle. The Edinburgh club's head coach, Steven Naismith, wants the young defender to continue developing in Glasgow and then prove himself back at Riccarton next year.

Hearts loaned Neilson to Thistle in August to ensure he played regularly in an attacking team pushing for success. He has managed 14 appearances at Firhill so far as Partick sit third in the Championship table. The loan deal runs until the end of the season and the 20-year-old is thriving in the second tier.

Naismith is content that Neilson is steadily progressing and sees him as a potential future first-team regular with Hearts. The decision to send him to Thistle was taken after careful consideration by the Tynecastle management team.

"We needed a team that would have the ball so that Lewis is put in situations where they are being offensive. That means he needs to deal with the transition defensively, but also needs to be good in possession. That has been brilliant for him," Naismith explained to the Edinburgh News.

"Lewis has been around the first team here for a period of time. His game time here was probably going to be limited, so it was about keeping the momentum going for him to grow. You want him to come back here and go: 'Right, I'm ready to be a first-team regular and I'm going to prove it to you.'"

Neilson joined Hearts on freedom of contract from Dundee United in June 2022 and managed 16 appearances last season. He would have one year remaining on his three-year contract when he returns to his parent club next summer.