Neilson expects Gomis and King to make impact at Hearts

Billy King, left, and Morgaro Gomis have impressed on loan at Rangers and Motherwell respectively. Pic: SNSBilly King, left, and Morgaro Gomis have impressed on loan at Rangers and Motherwell respectively. Pic: SNS
Billy King, left, and Morgaro Gomis have impressed on loan at Rangers and Motherwell respectively. Pic: SNS
BILLY KING and Morgaro Gomis will return to Hearts as better players after respective loan spells at Rangers and Motherwell. That is the view of the Edinburgh club's head coach, Robbie Neilson, who will welcome both men back to Riccarton for pre-season training on June 15.

Neilson expects the pair to play an important part for Hearts next season and feels they will benefit from being out on loan.

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King played 13 times for Rangers after moving to Ibrox in January.

Gomis made 11 appearances for Motherwell as they surged into the Premiership’s top six under Mark McGhee. The French-born midfielder agreed to go on loan to Fir Park on transfer deadline day after finding his game time limited at Hearts earlier in the season.

Both King and Gomis are contracted to Tynecastle until June 2017. Although sending them on loan hinted that their Hearts days might be numbered, Neilson insisted the two players remain very much part of his first-team pool. The first leg of the Europa League’s first qualifying round takes place on June 30 – meaning an earlier start than ever before for all concerned.

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“Both Billy and Morgaro will come back and start pre-season with us as Hearts players. We’re going to need a bigger squad next season because we have European games. Those two will be a big part of that,” he explained to the Evening News.

“Billy going and getting experience of playing more games in front of big crowds will stand him well for coming back to play at a big club like Hearts. I’m expecting him to come back a better player. I’m expecting Morgaro to come back fit and raring to go after getting more game time. He wasn’t getting as many games with us this season so he can come back and try to push again.”