Hearts have signed former Leeds, Rotherham and Barnsley left-back Aidy White on a deal until the summer of 2021.
The 27-year-old is unlikely to feature in the short term as he builds up his fitness following a groin injury which has sidelined him since January 2017.
The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international came through the youth ranks at Leeds before playing under current Hibernian head coach Paul Heckingbottom at Barnsley, where he won the Football League Trophy and the Sky Bet League One play-off final.
Hearts say manager Craig Levein is “preparing to work closely with the fitness team to ensure the 27-year-old builds up his fitness in a supportive environment in order to make a long-awaited return to first-team football”.
Levein told the club’s website: “We’ve been in dialogue with Aidy for a year and feel that now is the right time to bring him in.
“He’s got a lot of work to do in order to reach the level we think he’s capable of but I’m confident he can fulfil his potential and prove to be a vital cog in the wheel as we look towards the future.”
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