Andy Halliday’s arrival at Hearts will allow them to take their time with Peter Haring’s return to fitness and ensure they get the best out of them.
Halliday penned a two-year deal at Tynecastle yesterday, while Haring made substitute appearances in friendlies against Falkirk and Partick Thistle last week after 16 months on the sidelines with a pelvic problem.
The signs from the Austrian are encouraging, but Robbie Neilson explained it’ll be a while yet until he’s back to the same level he was at before.
And that’s why signing Halliday was so important to give his teammate some breathing room before they can eventually patrol the Jambos’ midfield together.
“Peter’s been great recently, but he’s been out for a long, long time,” said Neilson.
“He's stepped up his comeback against Partick the other day when he played 30 minutes.
“But we don;t want to rush Peter. We don;t want to throw him in early when he’s not ready.
“I think it’ll be another two or three months before he’s really ready and 100 per cent at it, so until then we need to take our time with him.
“He’s a really quality player and I don’t want to rush him too soon. There will be certain games that we play that we need both of them in that position; two strong, defensive players that can allow the attacking players to go and do the business.
Nielsen explained that Halliday’s experience of the Championship and being successful in it was a big factor in him signing.
“I’m delighted to to get it done because we’d been speaking for the last week or two to try and get it over the line,” he told BBC Scotland.
“Andy had a couple of options from down south that didn’t work out so we’ve managed to get him in, which is great for us.
“He’s got that experience of having to win football matches but also he’s played in the Championship and he’s won the Championship.
“When you bring anyone into a football club, it’s always a gamble. But I think we minimise that because Andy’s played at such a high level in big pressure games.
“But he also understands what it’s like to go to Arbroath, to Queen of the South where it’s difficult to play and you’re expected to win.
“We’ll be playing him centre mid. He can cover several positions but we’ll be looking for him to be the one that controls the central area with a bit of aggression and solidity.”
