New centre-back is on Hearts' agenda with squad options thin on the Riccarton ground

Tynecastle club will look to reinforce a key position

Defensive frailties at Hearts were exposed time and again last season in Craig Halkett’s absence. One man does not a back line make, however his ongoing recovery from last December’s cruciate ligament injury is just one factor dictating the need for a new centre-back at Tynecastle Park.

Halkett is not expected to be fully fit for the 2023/24 cinch Premiership kicking off on the weekend of August 5/6. His return is scheduled to come a few weeks later and won’t be rushed. Medical and coaching staff intend to give him as much time as is necessary to ensure he is 100 per cent ready.

With James Hill returned to parent club Bournemouth, one potential Halkett deputy is gone from last season’s squad. Hearts also released full-back Michael Smith, who could cover the middle of defence in an emergency. All of which leaves them short in that department. They are currently assessing the market and looking at potential options.

Toby Sibbick, Kye Rowles and Lewis Neilson are the three fit central defenders within the first-team squad, most of whom reported back to Riccarton on Tuesday to begin pre-season training. Sibbick, 24, and 25-year-old Rowles finished the 2022/23 campaign as the preferred centre-back pairing with Neilson, 20, out of the equation. Those three cannot sustain the centre of defence throughout next season without reinforcements.

With Halkett on the field, Hearts lost an average of 0.71 goals per game last season. Statistics following his injury at Tannadice Park on Christmas Eve were notably different, with 1.36 goals conceded on average per 90 minutes. Such data underlines his status as a defensive linchpin despite injuries restricting him to just eight appearances last term.

Sibbick’s future remains slightly shrouded in mystery. It is not yet clear whether he will still be a Hearts player come the start of the new league campaign. Clubs in England have enquired about his availability – plus that of midfield team-mate Jorge Grant – and Tynecastle officials will wait to see how that situation pans out.

The giant Englishman arrived in Gorgie on a permanent transfer from Barnsley in January 2022, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed six-figure fee. The possibility of him leaving this summer is at least 50/50, and any exit would only exacerbate the need for reinforcements in central defence.

Hearts technical director Steven Naismith and head coach Frankie McAvoy during a training session. Pic: SNS

Neilson is regarded as a player who is still developing at Riccarton after joining Hearts last June on freedom of contract from Dundee United. His former club pursued compensation and the matter was referred to a Scottish Professional Football League tribunal. The panel found in favour of Hearts and agreed they were not due United a penny.

Neilson made 15 appearances in maroon between August and November last year but fell out of the first-team picture after the World Cup break. His only appearance during the second half of the season came as an 88th-minute substitute against United in February. In between, he was involved with the Hearts B team under Steven Naismith, who is now leading the first-team management staff as technical director.

Neilson only turned 20 last month and time is therefore still on his side as he looks to establish himself. Hearts, though, cannot wait too long for a new central defender. Their search will continue in the weeks ahead.