Robbie Neilson bolstered his Hearts squad with the signing of England under-21 defender James Hill.
The Bournemouth centre-back penned a temporary switch to Tynecastle until the end of the season.
Hill, who turns 21 on Tuesday, came through the youth system at Fleetwood and played 53 times before a move to Bournemouth last January.
The defender has featured for both England under-20 and under-21 sides in recent seasons.
Neilson hailed the signing as a vital incoming after some serious injury problems in the Hearts backline.
He said: “I’m happy that we’ve been able to bring James in until the end of the season.
“We’ve been unlucky with injuries in defence, and while the guys in there have been performing really well it was always high on our priorities list to get another defender in.
“James has fantastic experience of playing at a high level down south and with England U20s and U21s and I’m sure that will stand him in good stead when the time comes for him to play for Hearts.”
Sporting director Joe Savage told the club website: “James was a man in demand and we’ve managed to beat off a lot of competition to get him, so we’re really pleased.
“Being able to bring in players from England, particularly an England U21 internationalist like James, shows how highly regarded this club is held in footballing circles and that’s credit to all of the hard work that’s done on and off the park at Hearts.
“We know the areas we want to strengthen and our fans can rest assured that we’re continuing to work away to make sure that this is a successful transfer window for the club.”
At The Herald and Times we know the importance of reaching you where it's convenient, which is why we've engaged top sportswriter James Morgan to bring you an irreverent daily update on what's happening in the world of sport. Be it football, golf, rugby, cricket or something more exotic, James will tread where the best stories take him. To get this exclusive bespoke piece sent directly to your email inbox for free every day at 5pm, simply take a few seconds to type in your email here. It's that simple!
