Marc Leonard is due to return to Birmingham City after undergoing surgery on a ruptured Achilles, an injury that has ended his loan spell with Hearts.
The midfielder sustained the season-ending injury in Hearts' 1-1 draw with Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday. Leonard and Hearts teammate Craig Halkett, who suffered the same injury in the same game, both flew to London on Sunday to undergo operations.
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes confirmed: "Both lads flew to London on Sunday afternoon and both got operated on yesterday morning. It was the same surgeon, both within an hour or so of each other. It was a ruptured Achilles for both, so it's significant injuries. They'll be out for seven to nine months."
McInnes added: "Marc will travel back to Birmingham today. He'll be in with the club doctor there."
Leonard had been a revelation up in Scotland, helping Hearts to within two matches of their first Scottish Premiership title in 66 years. The 24-year-old had been ever-present in Hearts' midfield before his injury and had been attracting transfer interest ahead of the summer window.
Celtic and Sheffield United were reportedly keeping tabs on Leonard, who has two years remaining on his contract at Blues. However, any deal this summer has been scuppered by the injury, with Leonard's recovery timeline ruling him out for the rest of 2026, possibly longer.
