Calem Nieuwenhof is continuing to make progress on his recovery from injury - but no timeline has been put on when he will return in a Heart of Midlothian jersey.

The Australian midfielder has not played since picking up a hamstring injury in a 2-0 win over Celtic at Tynecastle Park in March.

The hope had been to bring him back without the need for an operation. However, the 23-year-old required surgery and then suffered a setback following the operation.

A decision was taken to leave the midfielder out of the club's European squad due to the uncertainty as to when he would be back, freeing up a space for a team mate with the club limited to a 22-man squad.

Read more

Having been training on his own, Nieuwenhof has now progressed to the point he is involved in the early parts of training, including passing drills. Long-range passing, which had been tentative as he eased back from his injury, is becoming more comfortable.

Nieuwenhof emerged as a key player during the course of last season and his presence in midfield has been missed at the start of this campaign. The injury is the first of his professional career which has kept him out for a prolonged period of time.

Following the operation, the view was to ensure the player was not rushed back and given time to build back to full fitness.