Steven Naismith delivered an update on Craig Halkett's knee injury which has seen him miss the last six Heart of Midlothian fixtures.

The centre-back pulled up with an issue early on in the win over Airdrieonians in the Scottish Cup in February. 

Hearts have been patient with his recovery, waiting for Halkett to see a specialist to assess the injury. He has undergone surgery and Naismith believes the timeline for a return "is as good as it could be" - but it should be before the end of the season.

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"No," the Hearts boss said after being asked if there was a specific timeline in mind. "But I would hope he is back in training and making matchday squads by the end of the season.

"Because it was a bit of an unknown surgery we were waiting to see what happened but the timeline is as good as it could be."

Halkett's last two seasons have been punctuated by injury issues, including a cruciate ligament, limiting him to just 19 appearances. The 28-year-old extended his Hearts contract to 2026 earlier this season having returned from a long injury lay-off.

He, along with Liam Boyce and Peter Haring, will be missing from the Premiership clash with Kilmarnock on Saturday at Tynecastle Park. But Barrie McKay, Calem Nieuwenhof and Frankie Kent could all be involved.