Lawrence Shankland has officially cemented his status as one of Heart of Midlothian's all-time greats, according to his former head coach, Steven Naismith. The 29-year-old Scotland striker recently signed a new three-year contract at Tynecastle, putting an end to months of speculation about his future.

Shankland, who was out of contract and had previously turned down offers to stay in the Scottish capital, has now committed himself to Hearts. Naismith, a former Hearts player and head coach, believes this move places Shankland in the same legendary bracket as John Robertson and Craig Levein.

"Him signing this deal puts him right in the top bracket of Hearts legends," Naismith said on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound. "He's up with the rest of them, and that's only going to get better as he scores more goals. For the club and fans, it's as big as any signing that's going to come in."

Despite many Hearts supporters fearing a future without Shankland, Naismith remained "calm" throughout the contract negotiations. He acknowledged that a drawn-out process was inevitable given Shankland's impressive goal-scoring record. Over the past three league seasons, Shankland has scored more than 20 league goals in two of them, totaling 68 goals.

"When there's a player at that age performing at that level, they are going to take their time and see what's out there," Naismith added. "I was very calm about it all. Shanks was going to have interest because his levels were so high, but I also did know how much he loves Hearts and how well he was liked."

This new contract not only secures Shankland's future with Hearts but also reinforces his legacy as one of the club's most prolific strikers. With his continued performance, Shankland is poised to further elevate his status among Hearts' legends.