Wighton’s got no divided loyalties

There will be no divided loyalties for Craig Wighton at Dens Park today.

The former Dundee forward is ready to face his old club and is desperate to score his first goal for Hearts.

“It feels a bit like a fresh start now that I’m injury free,” said Wighton, who clinched a £100,000 switch from Tayside in August.

“I actually feel that I’m in better shape now than when I first came to the club.

“I’ve had a few games back-to-back in the reserves. Even though it’s not first team level it’s good to get them under my belt as I’ve not had that for a while.

“I’m feeling sharp and if I do get called upon this weekend, I’ll be ready.

“Hopefully I can open my account. That’s the most frustrating thing when you don’t score after moving to a new club. When you do get the first and are off the mark, it’s a bit of a relief.

“I’ve not played many games but it’s up to me when I do get back in the side to take my opportunities.

“I’m a Hearts player and I’m looking to open my account, so it doesn’t matter who it’s against. It’s irrelevant.

“I obviously appreciate what Dundee did for my career but I’m at Hearts now and if I get a chance on Saturday I’ll definitely be looking to score.”

Wighton insists he is ready to plug the gap left by Steven Naismith in Craig Levein’s Hearts line-up.

Jambos fans fear they may have seen the last of on-loan Norwich forward Naismith after it was confirmed he faces up to 10 weeks out having been sent for knee surgery.

However, the timing has worked in Wighton’s favour as he prepares to make his own return from a two-month lay-off with an ankle injury.

The 21-year-old said: “You don’t even have to look at what Steven has achieved in his career. He’s done so much even this season for us with the amount of goals he’s got.

“It’s a big task for everyone, all the forwards, to replace that.

“We missed Steven the last time he was out so it’s up to us to step up.

“We’ve got other good players in Uche Ikpeazu, Steven Maclean, David Vanecek and now Aidan Keena too, so there’s a lot of competition even without ‘Naisy’.

“But I’ve got to believe I can step into his shoes. All the forwards have got to think like that.”

Hearts have signed former Leeds, Rotherham and Barnsley left-back Aidy White on a deal until the summer of 2021.

Craig Wighton: Back from injury.