McCulloch on verge of Tynecastle deal

Robbie Neilson has confirmed he is closing in on the capture of Lee McCulloch as he assembles his new Hearts coaching staff.

And the Tynecastle head coach has revealed he could also move for Gordon Forrest.

Former Dundee United assistant coach McCulloch departed Tannadice following Neilson’s shock decision to return to the Jambos – and talks have been ongoing regarding a reunion in Gorgie.

Those discussions are at an advanced stage and McCulloch is expected to join Neilson’s team imminently.

The position of Forrest – who completed the coaching trio which inspired United to the Championship title last term – is less clear but Neilson is also interested in taking him to Hearts.

New United boss Micky Mellon recently confirmed both McCulloch and Forrest “have gone or will be moving on”.

Neilson said: “We’re still talking to Lee and I’d like to try and get him in pretty soon. I worked with him at Dundee United and he was brilliant up there. He had a good relationship with the players and the staff and we’ll progress that one in the coming weeks.

“Gordon’s also a possibility but we’ll just need to wait and see how that one goes.”

Neilson, however, has poured cold water on suggestions that he could raid his former club for United defender Calum Butcher.

The 29-year-old made 28 appearances during their march to promotion last term, scoring three times and proving a valuable player in both the heart of defence and midfield.

However, Neilson says he has no interest in tempting the Tottenham youth product to Edinburgh and is focused on adding width and pace to his ranks.

He added: “When you leave a club there’s always names getting put in and no doubt there’ll be a few more getting put to us or associated with us as time goes on.

“But no, Calum is not one we’re looking at at the moment.

“We’ve got a really good squad with a lot of international players. The big thing for us is just adding that little bit of pace in the right areas so hopefully we can do that.”