None of the young players in and around the Heart of Midlothian first-team squad will be leaving on loan. Certainly not yet.

Finlay Pollock, Aidan Denholm, James Wilson and Macaulay Tait were all part of the squad which travelled to Tenerife for the pre-season training camp and all are in Steven Naismith's plans going forward.

It was an opportunity for them to continue to develop and demonstrate they belong as part of the group. They didn't do themselves any harm with Naismith being impressed with their input and contribution. "Really good" was his answer when asked how they got on.

Each player is in their own individual situation.

Pollock requires a period without injury in what is a big 12 months for the 19-year-old. Denholm, 20, and Tait, 19, are looking to kick on after last season's breakthrough and Wilson, at 17, will develop the physical side of his game to deal with the demands in the Scottish Premiership.

"Finlay is in great condition," Naismith said. "The biggest thing he needs is a break so that he doesn't pick up an injury. Finlay plays a certain way which is high-risk for impact and tackles. That's probably something we need to try to coach him out of. It's risk and reward.

"Even in training, he is so determined to win and do well. If he is running into a corner with a second to go in training, he is going all-out to get the ball. Really, you read the situation. You have put in the work. We need to coach Finlay on that. He is too honest and too hard-working. All he needs is a break and a good run.

"He was unlucky at the end of last season that he did his ankle in a situation which just happens. I think he's got massive potential.

"Macaulay and Aidan have come back. Them breaking in last year is one part, but then the expectation moves on a bit. You don't have the same leeway you had last season, that's definitely going to be there for them. They are in good condition.

"James has grown and filled out. The three games he played in at the end of last season showed he had learned from his first game against Spartans. His positioning is much better, his understanding of movement when he is going to take knocks and stuff. That's really good. I would now put James in that first-team bracket. He is in and around the squad. He will still play for the B team at times but he is closer to the first team than ever before."

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Not only does Naismith view the quartet as members of his first-team squad but players who he believes can have an impact at Hearts long-term.

With Europe on the horizon, there should be ample opportunities for minutes. But a loan cannot be ruled out.

"The set-up with us having the B team, ideally it isn't what we want to do," Naismith explained. "We understand there will be a couple of situations within that where maybe we get a better test and it suits.

"You never know, but it's not at the front of my mind to send players out on loan. It's something we will assess towards the end of the window. All four of those players can have Hearts careers. Whether it's all the way through, or whether they go [elsewhere] to get some minutes and come back, I think they can all be long-term Hearts players. That will probably be the deciding factor as the window moves on.

"We do have Europe. We took 26 players to Tenerife. Some players dropped out for a couple of days because we were pushing them to their limits. They need a few days' rest so that shows you that you do need everybody."