Hearts boss Craig Levein is hopeful he can seal a deal for Republic of Ireland star Glenn Whelan this week.
The former Aston Villa midfielder, 35, has been offered a one-year contract after training with the Jambos last week.
If all goes to plan Levein could hand Whelan his debut against Ross County to shore up his midfield at Tynecastle on Saturday after losing 3-2 to Aberdeen.
Levein said: ‘We are continuing to speak to him and are hopeful we can get something done.
"You could see today we need a bit of experience in that area.”
Levein admits it was a body blow to be floored by Ryan Hedges’ late strike for the Dons at Pittodrie.
He said: “It’s difficult to be positive about the future when I am sitting here feeling like I’ve been punched in the guts.
“We’ve been beaten but we did not deserve to lose the match.
"We did enough to get a draw. We were on top until the sending off.”
Levein insists Aaron Hickey will learn from his sending off, especially for giving away the second foul on Niall McGinn.
He added: “Aaron is a young kid. He dived in.
"It’s tarnished his game a little but he will get better.”
