Heart of Midlothian are set to appoint Neil Critchley as their next head coach.

The club's search for a replacement for Steven Naismith following his dismissal last month led them to interview several managerial options before the list was whittled down to a shortlist with a conclusion near.

Last week, talks with Norwegian boss Per-Mathias Hogmo broke down when the veteran manager intimated that he wouldn't be interested in the job despite interviewing for the position which included putting together a presentation.

Critchley, who also featured high on the club's shortlist, is now set to be handed the opportunity to guide the club off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership and toward the upper echelons of the league.

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The 45-year-old has overseen more than 180 matches as a head coach, the majority across two spells with Blackpool. He was head coach at Queens Park Rangers for a short spell and stood in as Liverpool boss twice during Jurgen Klopp's reign.

A coach renowned for helping develop players, Critchley retired from playing at 24 to work behind the scenes at Crewe Alexandra. He would progress to the point he was headhunted by Liverpool where he would spend more than six years working in the academy before moving on to Blackpool. He led the Seasiders to promotion to the Championship in his first full season. 

A move to Aston Villa to assist Steven Gerrard would follow before replacing Michael Beale as QPR manager. It was a period that saw him win just once in 12 games. Three months after being relieved of his duties he would return to Blackpool for a second spell that last 15 months and 62 games.