Harry Milne is the type of player Neil Critchley wants to see succeed as he set the new Heart of Midlothian signing the challenge of putting pressure on James Penrice after arriving from Partick Thistle.
The 28-year-old left-back was the club's fifth and final January arrival, joining on an 18-month deal with Ethan Drysdale moving the opposite way on loan.
Critchley expressed his delight at the recruit, spoke positively about Milne's journey and noted how he can play at centre-back.
Yet, the left-back has one of the biggest challenges facing him, trying to dislodge Penrice, who is, currently, the team's player of the season.
"His aim is to come in and add pressure to James and push him," Critchley said. "He can play left-back or left centre-back. If we decide at any point to play in a three, he can play left of a three.
"I really like his journey. You can see how delighted he is to be here. You want those players to do well, you're wishing them to do well because he's coming here with optimism and energy and he bursts through the door and he wants to be at Hearts. And they're the people you want to bring to your football club because they help with the environment.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing how he does. We want competition in all places, obviously."
Milne joins Elton Kabangu, Jamie McCart, Michael Steinwender and Sander Kartum in joining the club this window.
The first two have already had a positive impact while it is hoped the latter duo do similar with the acceptance from Critchley that they may take a "little bit longer" to do so.
"I think they brought a freshness to the group not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well," Critchley said of his new signings.
"We've not really seen Michael and Sander too much and hopefully they'll start to be a bit more evident further down the line but Jamie's been magnificent at the back since Kye [Rowles] left the building and Elton's come and had a big impact at the top end of the pitch.
"They've been a massive help and it just goes to show that recruitment and getting the right players in is a huge part of developing your squad and I've been delighted with the work that we've done.
"Players' development or how they adapt to the league or to the team is not always linear and everyone's different, everyone's individual. We're hoping that happens but they [Steinwender and Kartum] might take a little bit longer. But I'm confident that they're both going to be successes for us, otherwise we wouldn't have brought them to the football club.
"We do a lot of background work and due diligence on the players that we bring in. Are they equipped to play in the team that we want to be in the future? And also have they got the right character, the right personality? What I've seen so far from all of them has been really positive."
Read more
-
Ethan Drysdale: Highly rated at Hearts, flying machine, importance of loan spell
-
How Hearts addressed key areas to emerge from January window stronger
-
The 8 things that stood out from Hearts day at Dens where they demolished Dundee
Five senior players departed this past month with three younger players going out on loan. Kye Rowles, Liam Boyce and Andres Salazar all left in the first half of the window but it was the two who exited afterward that raised plenty of eyebrows.
Daniel Oyegoke and Malachi Boateng left the club for six-figure fees despite being heavily involved in the first half of the season.
Critchley explained how moves such as those can happen but he feels the squad is in a better place than it was when they started the window.
"I just think sometimes you're not prepared for what's going to come your way and what the player wants to do as well," he said. "You have to take that into account. We had offers that we thought were acceptable for the club and the players also expressed an interest in wanting those moves to happen. In my experience, it's best to then try and get the best deal for the club and let that happen.
"They've moved on with our best wishes. But if you look at our work right across January and the players that have left and the players that have come in, you always want to try and end the window as stronger than when you started it. I think we've done that and we've got a strategy of how we want to move forward. When you have that, it makes the decision-making process a lot easier."
