Hearts have handed plenty of minutes to youngsters Adam Forrester and James Wilson as they look to blood more academy talent.
Macaulay Tait is another who has had minutes in the midfield.
The Jambos have other young players starring in their B team who are perhaps now above the level of the Lowland League but not quite ready for the first-team.
That’s where loans to clubs in the Championship and Leagues One and Two come in handy and it has been expected they will send some of them out to get valuable game time and experience. Especially with the first-team squad swelling after Michael Steinwender became the third January signing.
Callum Sandilands has already gone to Montrose while Kai Smutek is at Bonnyrigg Rose.
Tait is another who has been expected to head out on loan and a number of Championship clubs were queuing up to take him from Hearts.
Tait heads for Livingston loan
The 19-year-old has now made his decision on where he will play his football for the rest of the season and that will be Livingston, according to Hearts Standard.
The deal is said to be close and could go through over the next day or two and in time for him to be involved against Hamilton Accies on Saturday.
Tait has been featuring in the B team gut given his exposure in the Hearts first-team and the ability he has shown, he is above that level.
He will link up with Tynecastle hero Ryan McGowan, who won the Scottish Cup with the club in 2012.
While Lions boss David Martindale is a respected manager who demands the most out of his players, which can be beneficial for a young talent like Tait.
Why a loan away from Hearts makes sense for Tait
The talented midfielder played 14 times for Hearts under Steven Naismith last season. Albeit mostly from the bench, he showed both ability and character and looked very much like someone who could become a mainstay in the years to come.
It would’ve been expected for him to kick on this campaign and play more and more but that simply hasn’t happened. In fact, he has played just twice in the first-team.
That’s why it makes sense for the teen to go out and play more football in order to ensure he doesn’t go backwards in his development.
Tait has Beni Baningime, Cammy Devlin, Malachi Boateng and Jorge Grant ahead of him in the pecking order with Calem Nieuwenhof on his way back from injury. Another central player in Sander Kartum is being added, although he can play further forward.