U.S. Abroad: Kitchen is handed Hearts' captaincy

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Sep 22, 2016

Perry Kitchen has certainly made an impression on Heart manager Robbie Neilson since arriving at the Scottish club as a free agent in March. He named the 24-year-old American as the Hearts captain for the 2016-17 season.

“I’ve been impressed by Perry’s attitude, desire and, of course, his performances from Day 1," Neilson told heartsfc.co.uk. “He’s a natural and leads by example both on and off the park. He’s also a really good player and will inspire those around him to reach the highest standards. Ideally, we want 11 captains on the pitch every week."

Kitchen played 10 games for the Rambos at the end of last season and played five of their first six league games this season. They were unbeaten until a 1-0 loss to St. Johnstone on Saturday left them tied for second place behind defending champion Celtic.

Carlos Bocanegra previously served as captain at Rangers.