Robbie Neilson reveals where Hearts will play new signing Andy Halliday

Ex-Rangers man joined on Monday on two-year deal

Andy Halliday joins Hearts after five years at Rangers. Picture: SNS

Hearts boss Robbie Neilson has revealed he sees Andy Halliday playing in a central midfield role for the Tynecastle club.

The ex-Rangers player became Hearts’ seventh signing of the summer window after putting pen to paper on a two-year deal following his exit from Ibrox.

The 28-year-old is largely viewed as a centre-midfielder, but did play several times at left-back for Steven Gerrard’s men over the past two seasons.

Hearts have recently stated their interest in signing a left-sided defender after the sale of Aaron Hickey to Bologna.

However, Neilson insists that player is not Halliday as he envisions using his experience and combativeness in the centre of the park.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound programme: “Delighted to get it done. Andy’s had a couple of options down south, didn’t work out so we’ve managed to get him in, which is great for us.

“He’s got that experience of having to win football matches, but he’s also played in the Championship and won the Championship. It’s always a gamble when you bring anyone to a football club, but we minimise that because Andy’s played at a high level, big pressure games, he knows the Championship. He knows what it’s like to go to Arbroath, to Queen of the South, he knows the difficulties of being expected to win these games.

“We’ll be playing him centre-mid. He can cover a number of positions but we’ll be looking for him to be the player that controls the central area for us, with a bit of aggression and a bit of solidity in there as well.”

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