Signing Stuart Findlay on loan from Oxford United gives Hearts multiple qualities in one defender. Height, speed, physicality, aggression, experience, hunger and leadership are the centre-back’s standout attributes. They will all be vital components of Derek McInnes’ Hearts team. Just as they were vital components of Derek McInnes’ Kilmarnock team. The new head coach at Tynecastle Park recruited Findlay to a defensive department which was already 10 strong, such is his faith in the 29-year-old. Findlay became a Rugby Park mainstay under McInnes over the last two years whilst on loan from Oxford, and is expected to command a regular place in the Hearts starting line-up this season. He is, quite simply, McInnes’ type of player. “We've got good defenders here but I see the benefits of working with Stuart,” explained the manager. “He was outstanding when he was fit for me when we’ve worked together. And you know, he was keen. He made it known he was keen to keep our working relationship going. I knew where it sat really in terms of financials with Oxford. “So to get him on a year's loan with a view to going into that permanent deal after that is something that that both Stuart and I were were really keen on. The deal is a good deal for the minute, so financially it makes sense. More than that, it makes sense to for me to bring somebody that I know so well to the club. “I think he'll do well here, really well. I spoke to him the other day and he's absolutely loving it. He was a big part of any positive results and certainly, the season before last, when he was fully fit, he had a huge bearing on us finishing fourth at Kilmarnock. If I'd stayed at Kilmarnock, I would have wanted to continue that working relationship. When I came in at Hearts, I wanted to continue that working relationship as well.” McInnes regards Findlay’s pace as equal to any Scottish Premiership defender. “He's certainly really quick. Stuart's as quick a defender as there is in the league. Every player's got something different to offer and some players are maybe get better attributes than Stu has. He is a great age for a centre-back at 29. He's really fit. Normally, he doesn't pick up too many injuries. It was a nasty one he got at Dundee last season. “He wins first headers, has great pace, gives you balance on that left hand side and is happy to step in. You can go man-for-man at the back with Stu Findlay. He's not somebody that's looking for somebody to hold his hand and cover him, he's happy to take that responsibility. He’s a great option to have and when he's available as he was, it would have been remiss of me not to to take that opportunity.” Findlay represents the identikit of what McInnes values in defenders. More than that, he can underpin a new-look Hearts side which will have a physical element to it. The new manager makes no apology for prioritising certain characteristics as he looks to revamp a Hearts side which finished seventh in last season’s Scottish Premiership. Findlay is the type who can drive the character within the dressing room, but McInnes sees a bigger picture as he explains what Hearts’ new identity will look like. “Everybody's got to drive it, but he [Findlay] has got a part to play. I think obviously he knows how we work. I want that from everybody, it can't just land on one or two. That's got to be riddled right through the squad. We've got to have that kind of temperament and mentality about what we're trying to do here and want to be part of it. “I want to make sure that we need to be something. I want us to be really clear. If teams are coming up and doing a report on us, they need to know exactly what this Hearts team is. There has to be that physical element to it, there has to be speed, there has to be pace in different areas of the pitch. I think pace, size and strength are just three aspects that I think that we can get a bit more of in the squad. “You want to work with good players and you want to work with motivated players. What I'm getting at the minute is plenty of good players in the squad, so it's important we add what I think we need. The best teams, no matter how much money they've got to spend, what their budget is, the best teams have an identity. You know what they are.” Like every Hearts signing nowadays, Findlay was ranked by the club’s recruitment partner, Jamestown Analytics. “Jamestown are not here to say 'yes' and 'no' to everything. They are here to support a manager,” stressed McInnes. “It was a conversation that was easily supported and it made so much sense in bringing Stuart here. Everybody sees that, it's not just me banging the drum for a player. It's a manager's right, if he really believes in something, to bring the right player. There was full support from everybody at the club to bring Stuart here.” READ MORE: McInnes pinpoins Hearts’ advantage over Premiership rivals