Lewis Neilson, born on 15 May 2003 (age 23), is a Scottish central defender with Hearts. At a commanding 6ft 3in (1.91m), he has the frame for the role, though his career is still at the stage where regular football matters more than any neat description of his profile.
His most productive senior league season came with Partick Thistle in 2023-24, when he made 36 appearances and scored once. That year gave him a run of games that young centre-halves do not always get, and it remains the clearest marker of his development so far.
Back at Hearts, Neilson has had a more measured involvement. In 2025-26 he has made 16 league appearances without scoring, enough to keep him in the picture but not yet enough to suggest he has fully nailed down a place.
Neilson’s career to this point is that of a developing Scottish defender with senior minutes behind him, a useful spell at Partick Thistle, and continuing work to do at Hearts.
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