Are Hearts destined for "another really strong season" under Wouter Vrancken? Former Scottish Premiership midfielder Kevin Thomson believes so.

Following a humiliating 7-1 defeat at Celtic and a European away defeat to Trabzonspor, a depleted Hearts side responded with a hard-fought win at Motherwell on Sunday.

Former Rangers and Hibernian player Thomson referenced that Hearts face a demanding schedule after qualifying for the Conference League and reaching the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals, where they will face Edinburgh rivals Hibs.

But he was full of praise for Belgian coach Vrancken, who has overcome a challenging start to his reign.

"I think the new manager's come in and changed the whole style," Thomson said, pointing to the significant turnover of players in a squad that came within minutes of winning the title last season.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, he added: "To then have almost a whole new squad and do what he's doing, I think, is testament to him being a good manager, and I think Hearts will have another really strong season.

"To have to go to Celtic Park last week off the back of a European night was probably the worst fixture you could have, and obviously Celtic put them to the sword.

"You could argue that maybe a 7-1 scoreline flattered Celtic a wee bit and was a wee bit harsh on Hearts.

"But I think they're a good team. I still think it's going to be a really hard season for them, and I did feel that, if Hearts were going to have any sort of serious credentials domestically, they would have to go to Motherwell and win, and they did that."