Cammy has Tyne on his side

DEREK McINNES admits handing Cammy Devlin the Hearts captaincy shows how much he rates him.

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And the Jambos boss is hoping protracted contract talks with the ball-winning midfielder will have a happy ending.

The 27-year-old is about to enter the final six months of his deal but he is no closer to putting pen to paper.

Devlin has been an ever-present under McInnes and was handed the armband for the recent defeat at Aberdeen with Lawrence Shankland out injured.

McInnes, whose team will attempt to get back to winning ways in tomorrow's visit of Kilmarnock, said: “Cammy knows how much we want him to be here.

“We've spoken about that and I'd love him to stay beyond this season.

“At the minute, I think [sporting director] Graeme Jones and his agent are still having discussions, so that's part of it I don't get involved in. I've made it clear that we want him to be here and hopefully that can be the outcome.

“I think Cammy loves being here. He spoke brilliantly about being the captain, which was nice to hear, and I think that’s genuine. I think Cammy’s authentic and I think he's a proper boy.