Hearts new boy vows to bring 'nasty' side to Tynecastle and reveals New York meeting that sold him on move

The 24-year-old summer signing from Walsall produced a monstrous performance in the 3-0 win against English Premier League side during Craig Gordon’s testimonial game on Saturday, and the Irishman now believes their dominant performance proved why their intense pre-season under new head coach Derek McInnes will prove to be instrumental in the season ahead.

“I think a lot of work goes into it on the training ground,” said McEntee. “It's obviously a high intensity, it's going to be quite a lot of work, and it is paying dividends when it comes to the games. It's probably been my hardest pre-season in terms of double sessions and stuff like that, but I think you need that going into the Scottish Premiership season.

“You need to be fit, you need to be strong and I feel really good for it. My body feels really good. It feels a lot easier than other pre-seasons in terms of when you go into the game you feel ready, you feel at it. I think that's a testament to the recruitment, bringing good people in.

“We went out to Spain and everyone gelled really well with team activities and stuff like that and training all the time, that just comes naturally. But it's been a really enjoyable pre-season just getting to know new people. There's a lot of new boys but everyone's gelled together nicely."

Thundering into challenges as Hearts overwhelmed and overpowered their Wearside opponents - whose midfield three included over £67million’s worth of talent in Habib Diarra, Enzo Le Fee and Noah Sadiki - McEntee and Cammy Devlin were the team’s standout performers on the day, with their harrying and pressing proving to be a catalyst to their thumping win over the English top flight side.

“Cammy's an unbelievable player,” said McEntee. “It shows how many games he's played at this club, and he's played at this level for a long time, so it's enjoyable having him in there backing me up. After I signed with Hearts, I flew out to see my sister in New York and I bumped into a Hearts fan straight away. I have realised what a big club it is straight away, the fact you're meeting fans in New York.

“You don't want teams to enjoy playing against you, and I feel like we have the players in the team that have that bit of quality and we have a good mix of players that want to be competitive and win the ball back to let the players go and express themselves. I think that's kind of my game when I'm in the middle.

“I really enjoy that side of the game, the nasty side of the game, winning second balls and first balls and stuff and just doing my job for the team. It's been enjoyable, wherever the gaffer wants me to play, I'll play, I don't mind, but that [midfield] would be my preferred position.”

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