Lawrence Shankland knows that his future won't lie at Hearts for the rest of his career - although he remains focused on being their hitman for the time being.
24 league goals saw the Jambos finish fourth, and though they should have secured a top three finish for the second year running, it only adds to Shankland's CV as a prolific goalscorer throughout the SPFL - especially after bagging 26, 24 and 24 goals respectively for Ayr United and Dundee United from 2018 to 2020; albeit in the third and second tiers.
But last season showed that he could do it on the big Scottish stage, and naturally that has brought about interest from elsewhere across the continent. But whilst Shankland remains committed to the cause under Steven Naismith at Tynecastle as he aims to nail Hearts into a top-three place alongside earning more Scotland caps, he has highlighted his desire to play at a higher level at some point in the future.
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He said: "I live in the moment and concentrate on what I'm doing at the time. If I do well at Hearts and it leads to so-called bigger moves, then it does.
"But you don't get them without concentrating on what you are doing here. Of course, everybody has aspirations. They want to kick on and play at a higher level and do what they can.
"Usually that comes with having success. If it happens for me, it happens - and if it doesn't, that's it. But from a personal point of view, there is room to kick on in your career, and of course I would want to do that if I could.
"Gino and I had a really good relationship, on and off the park. We had a lot of success together. We suited each other with the way we played.
"Sometimes you have that type of bond with a player where you know what they want, and they also know what you need. That was the case with the two of us.
"There's no denying it, Josh will be a big loss for us. He was a key player in the team at the end of the season and he did really well. But he's moved on and we need to do that as well. I wish him all the best, he's got a good move for himself.
"We know the club will be working on that side of things, and will be looking at getting replacements in. We'll see who we get before the season starts."
