Robbie Neilson has opened up on the reason behind Liam Boyce's new Hearts deal.
The Jambos star is out long-term after an ACL injury with the Northern Ireland international slowly getting better by the day. His contract at Tynecastle was set to expire in the summer before the club thrashed out fresh terms with the hitman.
Capital boss Neilson has revealed the new deal is not only down to missing his goals and quality link up play but to provide him some security with a young family. It means he can now fully focus on his return to fitness with the striker working 'unbelievably hard' behind the scenes and he could return by the end of the season. Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News, Neilson said: "I'm delighted. Boycie is a top player and we've missed him massively, not just in terms of the goalscoring but in his quality to link the game and his understanding of the game.
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“Obviously his contract was going to run out in the summer. He's had his ACL done and he's on his way back from that but, to his credit, he's been working unbelievably hard and we expect him back by the end of the season.
“We just felt that the new deal would give him a bit of security. He's got a young family and he can start focusing on getting himself back.”
On the transfer front with the January window just around the corner, he added: “We've got a couple of areas we're looking to strengthen.
"We're hoping to get one of them done and sorted as early as possible. We'll need to see if that can happen but players are at other clubs and sometimes that can be difficult.”
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