Hearts’ chief executive says the club “should be in third place” as he indicated it is up to Steven Naismith to prove himself for the manager’s job on a long-term basis.

McKinlay says the dismissal was “not a kneejerk or gut decision” after Saturday’s loss to St Mirren as Hearts dropped to fourth in the Scottish Premiership.

“We should be in third place and I believe we’ll get back to third place by the end of the season,” said McKinlay.

“We want to give ourselves the best opportunity in those last seven games of finishing third in the league. We know what comes with that (European qualification) and it’s very important to us. The turnover, roughly, you’re looking at between £5m and £6m extra.

“Steven is now the incumbent until the end of the season and he has an opportunity to show us why he should be that person longer-term. That’s entirely up to him to do that. He’s incredibly appreciative of the opportunity and very excited by the chance that he now has.”

Neilson, 42, returned to the club as manager in 2020 and oversaw two Scottish Cup finals and a third-placed finish in the top flight last season.

However, five successive defeats meant the club exited this season’s Scottish Cup and dropped below Aberdeen in the Premiership.

McKinlay revealed the club were “inundated” with CVs and phone calls within 30 minutes of Neilson’s departure but believes the board will take their time over appointing a permanent manager.

“Over the last few weeks, the results have been poor but I think also the performances have left quite a lot to be desired,” said the chief executive.

“We got to a stage where it was hard to see how we were going to be able to turn it around.

“He (Neilson) was very gracious in the discussion we had.”