Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland signs new deal to remain at Tynecastle
The 29-year-old has agreed a three-year contract
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland has signed a three-year deal to remain at Tynecastle.
The 29-year-old striker’s future has been the subject of speculation after his contract expired last month.
Hearts had offered the Scotland international a new deal at the end of the season, with new head coach Derek McInnes revealing he was keen for Shankland to remain at the club.
Negotiations have progressed over the last 48 hours and the player flew out from Glasgow to Spain on Wednesday to join up with the squad’s pre-season training camp.
Speaking to the club website, Head Coach Derek McInnes said: “Lawrence’s not only been ingrained in the club the last few years, he’s been a big player for the club, knows his way about the Premiership, knows his way to goal.
"It just made so much sense on so many levels for me. I've known Lawrence since he was a young boy and I know how important family is to him and how important being happy is.
"I always felt that that was a huge advantage for us. Not only does he enjoy his time at Hearts, those family connections are always very strong.
"I do feel that having that recognised number no.9, a goal scorer with a real pedigree, Scotland internationalist, the motivation for Lawerence to do well here at not only a club that he loves, a club that he's happy with.
"You see the way he's embraced his teammates this morning. He's a really popular boy, but he's got so much to do here. In my time at Hearts, I want to make sure it's successful and I want Lawrence to feel exactly the same and he does.
"We want to be lifting silverware. We want to be going into group stages in Europe and we want to have a consistent thing going here and that is the driver for all of us. I do feel that having Lawrence in the building gives us a better chance of achieving all that."