Craig Halkett finally sees the Hearts he thought he was joining in 2019

Though his upcoming employers were toiling at the time, excessive injury woes were largely to blame for Hearts taking a severe downturn under then-boss Craig Levein. Few could have predicted what was to come next, especially Halkett.

After recovering from an early Autumn injury in his first season, Halkett found himself in a side fighting relegation, a battle they would ultimately succumb to when a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and a ghost email saw the club prematurely forced into the Championship.

Back in the second tier two years after Livi's promotion wasn't exactly what the Scotland hopeful had in mind when he made the 14-mile switch from Almondvale to Gorgie, not that he was entirely without blame. Even against weaker opposition in last season’s title-winning campaign, Halkett still wasn't reaching the level of consistency expected of him when the club secured his signature.

This season has been a different animal, entirely.

Looking leaner and meaner, Halkett has been excellent throughout the campaign. He’s the rock at the centre of the Hearts back three and ranks third in the cinch Premiership for percentage of aerial duels won (per Wyscout). There’s zero doubt his absence has been keenly felt over the past few games as Robbie Neilson's side have gone from easily having the third-meanest defence in the league to shipping in nine goals in the last three fixtures..

Thankfully for his team-mates and regrettably for opponents, he is now back and ready – both for the present and the future. Speaking to the national press since signing a new two-and-a-half-year contract in January, Halkett stated his pleasure that the club were finally back to the level expected of them.

"I was really happy with that," he said of