HEARTS manager Robbie Neilson insists Toby Sibbick is not a direct replacement for John Souttar.
The versatile defender joined on a permanent deal from Barnsley on Thursday after previously spending a short loan spell at Tynecastle at the end of the curtailed 2019/20 campaign.
Sibbick’s arrival had intensified speculation that Scotland international Souttar - who has agreed a pre-contract with Rangers - would make the move to Ibrox before the closure of Monday’s transfer window.
However, Neilson, whose side welcome Motherwell today, insists he would still need to recruit another defender if Souttar departed.
Neilson, who is waiting to discover the severity of centre half Craig Halkett’s scan, said: “We know John has signed a pre-contract elsewhere and will be leaving.
“So we thought, do we wait until the summer? We’ve brought someone in who’s still 22 and that gives us four or five months to do that.
“Also, Halks is out with a hamstring problem, Taylor Moore is touch and go so we needed another body in and if John goes then we will probably bring another one in as well.
“Halkett had his scan on Friday, fingers crossed it’s only a matter of weeks but we just need to wait and see because it’s quite a bad one.
“He has been doing brilliantly for us. He’s looked fit, strong and sharp. Something like this is a disappointment for him but he’ll just have to use the time to get himself back fit.”
Asked if Hearts had a Plan B should Souttar move to Rangers before Monday, Neilson replied: “We’ve got a couple but it will be dependent on what we get for John.
"Nothing has changed at all. We had an offer in that got knocked back and as far as we know that’s it done and dusted.
“Does it get harder to part with him the more we get closer to the window? It depends on the offer. Everyone knows the situation with Halkett, the offer, John’s situation. We will judge it if anything comes back in.”
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