Follow: @CCP_sport
Osman Sow admits he was proud of what he achieved with Hearts after officially completing his seven-figure transfer to Chinese Super League outfit.
The Swedish striker travelled to the Far East at the start of the month to thrash out the terms of his switch but a delay in attaining international clearance meant the 25-year-old’s move has only just been rubber-stamped.
Following an unproductive campaign at Crystal Palace, Sow signed a two-year deal with Robbie Neilson’s side in summer 2014 and went on to collect a Championship winner’s medal after notching 12 goals in 25 appearances.
Sow, who is joined by former Dundee United and Hearts defender Ryan McGowan at the Zhengzhou-based club, scored a further 11 times this term and contributed to countless assists on Hearts’ return to the Premiership.
The marksman insists he is not short of happy memories after his exit was confirmed.
He said: “I really enjoyed my time at Hearts and I’m proud that I was able to help the club back up to the top of Scottish football.
“I’d like to thank Robbie, Craig (Levein, director of football) and all the coaching staff for giving me the chance to come over and play regular football, and the boys for being great teammates.
“I’d also like to thank the fans who were tremendous with me and never stopped supporting us.
“I wish Hearts all the best and hope the club continues its rise to the top.”
Hearts head coach Neilson, meanwhile, insists his side need to keep their foot on the throttle for a run of five games in 18 days after the club announced dates for rearranged fixtures against Partick Thistle and Inverness.
After the original matches were postponed, Hearts will now host Partick Thistle on Saturday, March 5 and will make the trip to Inverness on Tuesday, March 15.
Neilson, whose side will bid to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat at Dundee United when Kilmarnock visit on Saturday, said: “We’ve got a little Saturday to Saturday but then we’re right back into it because we’ve got a couple of games to catch up on.
“We need to keep the squad going, keep pushing hard. We won’t be taking the foot off the gas here, we want to get as far up the league as we can.”
