Hearts: Osman Sow funds will help build for future - Neilson

Neilson was busy on transfer deadline day, signing John Souttar, Don Cowie and Abiola Dauda

Hearts will invest a share of their Osman Sow windfall in the club's youth, according to head coach Robbie Neilson.

The striker, 25, is joining Henan Jianye in the Chinese Super League for a fee in excess of £1m.

"Osman's money will help the club develop as a whole, not just first-team wise," said Neilson.

"The academy and the whole infrastructure will benefit. The club has to be sustainable over time, not just two or three months."

Sow was out of contract in the summer after spending 18 months at Tynecastle, scoring 25 goals over a season-and-a-half.

"It's done and dusted," added Neilson. "Osman is away, he flew out yesterday and is now a Chinese Super League player.

"He's an example of what we want to do here.

"We want to develop our own players as well as those who come in. We develop them, get the best out of them while we can then let them move on to bigger and better things.

"It's not for me to talk about the financial side of it though. The club will decide where the money goes. The whole ethos of the club is to do exactly what we did with Osman - develop them, bring money in and then take the next step.

"It's really important that we don't just chuck the good money we're getting for Osman into the first team because it doesn't work like that."

'Top-quality player'

Hearts travel to Ross County on Wednesday but are without suspended defenders Blazej Augustyn and Igor Rossi while skipper Alim Ozturk is a doubt after limping out of Sunday's Edinburgh derby Scottish Cup draw with a knee injury.

Deadline day signing John Souttar could therefore make his first appearance for the Edinburgh side.

Neilson said: "He has played a lot of games for Dundee United this season so he's fit and ready.

"He's a player that, yes, we have brought in to develop but we also want him to play first-team games and he will definitely have an involvement between now and the end of the season.

"He's got all the technical ability but he just needs a bit of work on the basics. If we can get him there we will have a top-quality player on our hands."