Highly-rated Heart of Midlothian youngster Lucas Smith has signed a new one-year deal following a devastating ACL injury.

The 18-year-old penned a six-month deal in January following his recovery from his injury which kept him out for two years. Smith, who has been at the club for a decade, used those six months to convince Hearts he was worthy of a new deal.

In an interview with HeartsTV, the teenager and his mum detailed the "difficult road" over the past couple of years with the left-sided defender requiring an ACL reconstruction.

He is now set to be a key player for the club's B team. He featured against East Stirlingshire on Friday night in the Lowland League opener.

"When I arrived in the Academy last July, Lucas was in the final stages of his return from a long-term injury," the club's academy director Andrew Webster told the club's official website.

"I distinctly remember the boys U18s playing away to Motherwell and Lucas was on the bench. Without knowing too much about anything we stood at the side of the pitch and discussed our thoughts on the game and football in general. It was clear from that initial encounter that Lucas was a mature young person who was very level-headed.

"Someone suffering a longer-term injury at such a young age can have a big impact on them not only on their development as a young aspiring footballer but as a person. However, Lucas' ability to work hard during a difficult period is a testament to the person he is. He managed to build up his fitness and worked hard to get himself back on the pitch with his teammates and started to excel.

"During the season, not only has he went on to earn himself a contract with the B Team for this season but his academic achievements at school are also to be celebrated by all.

"Lucas should be very proud of the effort, determination and resilience shown over an extremely challenging period for him and his family, I know we are in the Academy. As an Academy we are looking forward to watching Lucas' progressing over the coming season being part of the B Team and hopefully beyond."