IAN Cathro, the Hearts manager, ruled out a loan move for Rangers’ Michael O’Halloran, but said that Preston North End’s Stevie May was “closer to the profile” of the kind of player he would like to add before the end of the January transfer window.

Hearts have been as active as any Scottish club during this window, with Aaron Hughes, Andraz Struna, Lennard Sowah and Malaury Martin all joining the club, and Igor Rossi, Robbie Muirhead, Alim Ozturk, Tony Watt all going out.

With Arnaud Djoum and Feycal Rherras on Africa Cup of Nations duty, and Callum Paterson sidelined with a serious injury, it has been a time of much change at Tynecastle but Cathro denied that he had ripped things up and started again.

“I am aware that we have perhaps done more than other clubs but nothing has been ripped up,” said Cathro. “I don’t feel like we have done a lot. It has been individual situations and us trying to do the right thing. Always of course for the club but sometimes as well for people. It really hasn’t been drastic. The number is a higher number than maybe we thought but it has not been a drastic thing.”

On the speculation linking him with either O’Halloran or Aberdeen target May, he added: “I know Mark [Warburton] had commented on that in his press conference the day before,” said Cathro. “But I actually saw him at the managers’ meeting earlier in the week and there is nothing in it. I would say he [May] fits the profile of the type of striker we’d maybe like to add. But ultimately there’s been no contact. It’s not something we have moved on or acted on.”

The next test for Cathro comes at Stark’s Park in a live televised Scottish Cup fourth-round tie against Raith Rovers, currently led by former Hears manager Gary Locke.

Locke discovered the hard way that no-one ever owes you anything in football when he was let go from Tynecastle in 2014 after Ann Budge took over as club owner.

“I spoke to Ann on the day that I left and it was a disappointing day,” said Locke. “But Ann has got a job to do there. She saw fit to bring in another manager and they have done great since I moved away.

“At the end of the day what happened was disappointing,” he added. “But that is football. I have learned that you are a number in football, no-one owes you anything.”