So far this summer, last season’s third-place finishers have added six new players and more are expected in the coming days and weeks.

Neilson has known since January the areas that need strengthened and that has not altered after eight friendlies and two league matches.

“It’s like anything, you want players in as soon as you can," he said. “I’d like to get players in by this weekend but that’s probably not going to happen.

“We just need to make sure whoever comes in is really good and is going to take the team forward.

“If it takes tonight or three weeks time it doesn’t matter.”

He added: “Right at the start in January we knew what we needed for the summer and we’ve been working away at it.

“We still have a couple of slots we need to fill, we know what we need to bring in and it’s just a case of getting the right ones.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson is hoping to make new additions. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

“We’ve had options we’ve pushed on and others we have come away from because we didn’t feel it was right.

“If we’re going to bring someone in it needs to be quality.”

Hearts welcome Dundee United to Tynecastle Park on Sunday ahead of their trip to face FC Zurich in the Europa League play-off.

Neilson expects Jack Ross' men to “come at it” following their 7-0 humbling to AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League qualifying.

Changes will be kept to a minimum with Cammy Devlin “ready to go" and Stephen Kingsley set for an appearance from the bench following injury.

“We just need to win the game so it will be the best team to win the game,” Neilson said. “If we can do that we’ll have a few days recovery and then we’ll go again.

“We have a squad here of 18-20 really good first team players and whoever plays isn’t going to bring the level of the team down so we can rotate.

“But for me it’s about picking the best team every time we play.”

Why Hearts moved away from transfer deals and Robbie Neilson's plan for XI to face Dundee United

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