Kirk and Thomas sign new deals

The duo have been in fine form for Steven Naismith’s Under 18s this season and both recently made their senior debuts for the first team.

They’ll now remain at Hearts for the forthcoming 2022/23 campaign and Robbie Neilson believes both could have a bright future in maroon.

Speaking to the Official Hearts Website, the manager said: “I’ve been impressed with Makenzie and Murray when they’ve trained with the first team group and they’ve put in a lot of good performances for the U18s.

“Senior debuts have to be earned so they should both be very proud that they achieved that this season.

“The hard work never stops though, and they’ll need to keep impressing in training but I’ve no doubts that they’ll continue to do so.”

Sporting Director Joe Savage said: “I’m very pleased for them both and this shows that Hearts will always give young talent a platform.

“One of our key focuses is to develop these players with the aim to get them into the first team.

“For Makenzie and Murray to have made their debuts is great for everybody, but it’s only the first step.

“They’ll know how much hard work has gone into getting to this point, and how much more they’ll need to put in to stay in the manager’s thoughts.”

Meanwhile, the following players will depart Hearts upon the expiration of their contracts in the summer:

Mihai Popescu, Chris Hamilton, Ryan Schiavone, Harris Spratt, Jay Charleston-King, Sean Docherty, Michael Aitken.

The club would like to thank them all for their efforts and wishes them all the best going forward.