Heart of Midlothian have announced a contract extension for youth striker Makenzie Kirk.

The 20-year-old has signed a deal until 2025 with a clause which would allow the club to extend it by a further year.

Kirk is currently on loan with League One side Hamilton Accies where he is being managed by former Hearts youth coach John Rankin. The move followed a hugely productive spell with the B team, scoring 27 goals in all competitions in the first half of the year.

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Hearts took the decision to send Kirk out on loan to "further his career" but he has not featured as regularly as first hoped, making just five substitute appearances. Hearts B head coach Laim Fox believes the experience will stand him in good stead.

“With Mak, everyone will speak about his goals during the first half of the season, and rightly so, but he also produced some really impressive performances in those games, which was equally pleasing for me," Fox told the club's official website.

“As a club, we made the decision to put him on loan for the second half of the season, to further his career, and although, he will not have played as much as he would’ve liked, it highlights how difficult it is to be a first-team player."

“This will be a learning experience for Mak. It's great that he has been rewarded for his efforts, in the shape of this new contract and I have no doubt that he will come back next season stronger and ready to work hard."