Former Heart of Midlothian striker Makenzie Kirk has revealed that he took the decision to join St Johnstone in a bid to get more first-team minutes.

The 20-year-old forward, who was prolific for Hearts B in the Lowland League before joining Hamilton Academical on loan for the second half of last season, completed a move to Perth earlier this month for an undisclosed fee.

Kirk, who scored 43 goals in 48 appearances for Liam Fox’s side, would have found himself on the fringes of the senior Hearts team this season with Lawrence Shankland, Kyosuke Tagawa, Kenneth Vargas and Liam Boyce all ahead of the youngster in the pecking order.

The opportunity to link up with former Hearts boss Craig Levein and play Premiership football in the new season was too good to knock back – but Kirk insists he won’t receive any special treatment from his dad Andy, who serves as Levein’s assistant.

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“That’s just one thing I have to deal with,” Kirk told the Edinburgh Evening News. “But I’ll get treated no differently to any other player in the group. My dad’s here to make us all better players. He wants to give us the best opportunity we can have in this league.

“It’s not a problem for me or the other lads. The opportunity to join such a great club was something I just couldn’t turn down. I really wanted to get involved and play within a first team. For me, the main thing is getting my head down now and working as hard as I can.

“I’m thinking there are so many things I can learn from Benji Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh. Then there’s Nicky Clark with his experience and, when he comes back in, Uche Ikpeazu. Those guys know exactly what the league is all about.

“They are all good, experienced players, and there is stuff I need to learn because I'm still really young. I have my personal goals that I’ll try to reach. But the main thing for me is to give the team the best I have when I get the opportunity. It’s good for me to be around this environment. I’m looking forward to it.”