(Photo by Ewan Bootman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Hearts full-back Jamie Brandon is a January loan target for EFL side Leyton Orient, according to a report, as he continues his recovery from a long-term injury suffered at the start of the year.
Brandon has been out of action since injuring his cruciate but has recently returned to training and, according to Football Scotland, Orient want to take him on loan until the end of the season.
Jamie Brandon during the Scottish Premiership match between Hearts and Livingston at Tynecastle in December, 2019 (Photo by Ewan Bootman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The O’s are said to be looking for competition for former Hibs full-back Tom James and have identified Brandon as the ideal player to bolster their playoff push in the second half of the season.
Brandon was out of contract at the end of the month after he has handed a short-term deal by Hearts to see him through the recovery phase of his injury and Jambos boss Robbie Neilson has decided to hand him a further six-month contract before sending him out on loan to get some game time.
That allows Neilson to assess whether he should offer the ex-Rangers youngster a longer-term contract in the summer or whether he should be allowed to move on from Tynecastle after six years.
Before his injury, Brandon’s performances for the Jambos had won him a place in the Scotland under-21 side and there’s definitely a player there who can be of use to Robbie Neilson’s side long-term.
However, he really needs to get games under his belt after spending much of 2021 on the sidelines so a loan move to the likes of Leyton Orient would be the ideal move for him.
With Kenny Jackett’s side sitting ninth in League Two, he’d be going there and looking to help push them further up the table and secure, at worst, a playoff place at the end of the campaign.
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