Ellis Simms has confirmed he would be "open" to extending his spell at Hearts beyond the end of the season.
The striker, on loan from Everton, was the hero for the Jam Tarts as he scored a screamer in their Scottish Cup semi-final win over Hibs.
The goal marked his fifth in maroon since arriving in January and he hasn't ruled out staying longer, but said ultimately the decision is down to his parent club.
"It’s about the pathway for me," he told the Edinburgh Evening News. "I would be open to it, definitely.
"It’s out of my hands. I’m owned by Everton so it’s up to them where my next step is.
"I’ve enjoyed my time here, I’ve loved it. I’m here to play games and win matches.
"I will have to sit down with the Everton staff and my agent.
"It’s not entirely down to me, but so far I have enjoyed every minute here at Hearts."
Reflecting on the weekend's progression into the Scottish Cup Final, the 21-year-old said his team-mates knew the importance of not getting complacent.
He explained: "As soon as I came here, I knew there was a massive rivalry with the Hibs.
"I’ve been lucky enough to play them three times now.
"The fans are great and we knew both sides would be up for it at the weekend in a cup semi-final.
"We played them the previous week and won so we didn’t want to become too complacent.
"We knew they would have a right go at us at Hampden.
"We had to dig in during the second half especially and in the end we got the win."
