Hearts have announced the signing of winger Josh Ginnelly on a two-year deal following his release from Preston North End.

24-year-old Ginnelly spent last season on loan at Hearts and despite missing the majority of the season through injury, he became a big hit with the Gorgie faithful.

Scottish Championship – Heart of Midlothian v Queen of the South. Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. 12/12/2020. Hearts play host to Queen of the South in the Scottish Championship at Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh. Pic shows: Hearts’ midfielder, Josh Ginnelly, brings the ball upfield. Credit: Ian Jacobs

Ginnelly becomes Robbie Neilson’s first signing of the summer transfer window and speaking to the official Hearts website the Hearts Boss said: ā€œI’m delighted to get Josh in permanently.

ā€œHe’s an explosive player, capable of providing a spark that can swing games in your favour.

ā€œWe saw glimpses of how good he was last season and now, with a full pre-season under his belt, he will hopefully go on to be a very important player for us.ā€

Sporting Director, Joe Savage, said; ā€œJosh is someone I know well and we’re really happy to get the deal done.

ā€œHe’s young, hungry and extremely talented, which is exactly the type of player we want pulling on the maroon jersey every week.

ā€œWith teams now beginning to return for pre-season training and squads taking shape, we’re hopeful that we’ll continue to make progress in terms of bringing in the right players to this club.ā€