The news of Perry Kitchen's arrival at Tynecastle may surprise fans on both sides of the Atlantic, especially given the reported wage he declined from DC United, but the 24-year-old could be the key ingredient to Robbie Neilson's midfield.

The Washington side first acquired Kitchen in the SuperDraft of 2011 after the young Indiana-native midfielder was signed up by Generation Adidas.

To most Scottish football fans that might sound like a mouthful, but there are good credentials in there from the start. DC had the third pick of the draft after Vancouver Whitecaps picked Omar Salgado (now playing in Mexico) and Portland Timbers selected Darlington Nagbe (who helped them to MLS Cup success last season).

Generation Adidas is a programme part run by Major League Soccer and the main US Soccer body which helps the best and brightest American players get picked up by MLS clubs since its inception in 1997. Over the years players such as Tim Howard, Maurice Edu, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley have been found through the scheme; so the pedigree is there. At just 18-years-old Kitchen was the second-youngest player to be picked up by a club in 2011.

From the off he was thrown into the first team and became a solid addition to playing as a defensive midfielder in front of the back four, but on the odd occasion made an appearance at centre-half or right-back. United manager Ben Olsen's diamond midfield in a 4-4-2 formation suited Kitchen's style of play and the team ethos of solid defending while leaving plenty of options to attack.

He made his debut in the season opener against Portland Timbers and continued to be a mainstay of the side in his five-year stay at RFK Stadium, playing 30 or more games each year. From his first season he caught the eye of many in MLS and on the shortlist of the league's Rookie of the Year award, which instead went to Sporting Kansas City's C.J. Sapong.

The time Kitchen spent in Washington was as inconsistent as a club could get - from finishing dead last in 19th place in 2013 to winning the US Open Cup and winning entry to the CONCACAF Champions League.

Kitchen proved to be the shining light for DC fans during their lowest times, as he was named the club's Most Valuable Player in 2013. Leadership qualities began to appear in the young man who had a stronghold in his short time in the game so far.

The towering 6ft tall anchor in the middle of the park then helped guide DC United in a 'worst to first' scenario where they topped the conference in 2014.

Last year saw the Black and Red only just make the play-offs with an eighth place finish (fourth in the conference) and an early exit again in the semi-finals.

That rounded off another successful 12 months for Kitchen with Jurgen Klinsmann calling him up to the US men's national squad. His debut came in a friendly against Panama in February before featuring against Mexico in April.

Come November, after the league campaign had finished for Ben Olsen's side, it came down to contract renewals for the star that had grown since being picked in the 2011 draft. In November it was reported both parties were "pretty far apart" on any notion of an agreement with the Washington Post reporting the 24-year-old sought a "substantial pay raise" on his $172,000-a-year deal.

Meanwhile over the January transfer window in Gorgie it was reported Osman Sow was being watched by a Chinese Superleague side as part of a £1.5m deal. The last few weeks have proven that such a deal was indeed fact and it came to pass with Hearts fans disappointed to see the player leave, but ultimately happy with the price gained.

With Kitchen wanted across Europe - from Denmark and Germany, to Greece or Turkey - coming to Hearts will help him adjust to a more European game and the style of play which may in time earn him an even bigger move.

This year is also an important one for the USA international fixture with the Gold Cup continuing as well as having the Olympics this summer and a special centenary edition of Copa America. For Kitchen to turn down offers from bigger clubs in his homeland to head to Scotland and improve his game shows a massive gamble on his part but one that Hearts fans might just be glad he takes.

Steven Goff, soccer writer for the Washington Post, told STV: "Perry is a working-class midfielder who, for five years, did the dirty work on a blue-collar D.C. United team. He was in the lineup almost every minute of every match since signing a pro contract after one year of university soccer.

"In his first season, he played a variety of positions but by year two, he was a mainstay in central midfield. I thought at some point he would evolve into a box-to-box mid, but mostly he remained in the trenches.

"He’s a quiet guy but a natural leader who is very serious about his craft. He personifies the Midwest (Indiana); no-nonsense, straight-forward, gets down to business.

"DC made efforts to re-sign him to a long-term contract which, from what I understand, would have more doubled his base salary. But he was intent on getting to Europe and after a long wait reached a deal with Hearts.

"As for the national team, he is on the fringe. He was included in the winter camp (mostly MLS players in the off-season) and appeared briefly in one of the two friendlies.

"On the depth chart, he has a long ways to go before becoming a regular call-up for Jurgen Klinsmann. But at his age, and now in a European environment, he should gain greater consideration."

Jamie Borthwick adds: "Under Craig Levein and Robbie Neilson, Hearts have recruited a number of defensive midfielders as they look to form a solid anchor around which their talented wide players and forwards can express themselves.

"Last year, in the Scottish Championship, Morgaro Gomis was the virtual ever-present with Prince Buaben and Miguel Pallardo rotated next to him to great effect. But Premiership opposition have proved to be a trickier nut to crack.

"The dynamic in the heart of the Tynecastle team is evolving as Arnaud Djoum - a much more instinctively attacking player - has made himself indispensable to Neilson. The matter of who to pair with him is unresolved.

"Gomis has seemed to struggle to adapt to the greater pace of the top tier and has been farmed out to Motherwell for the rest of the season. Buaben has grown in to form during the season but perhaps lacks the destructive instincts required to offer a platform for Djoum to maraud forward.

"The addition of Don Cowie brings experience and endeavour to the Hearts midfield but, again, he appears more at ease creating chances than doing the dirty work for his more attacking teammates.

"On paper this all makes the capture of Perry Kitchen look like very good business.

"His experience of playing the deep role in a 4-4-2 - standard or diamond - could make him the man to allow Djoum a greater degree of creative freedom.

"Hearts fans will be wary that the last overseas signing with international caps and complex visa requirements to arrive in Edinburgh to great fanfare has not, to date, worked out well. Juwon Oshaniwa has slid from first pick to bench warmer, before disappearing altogether from the matchday squad in recent weeks.

"The supporters filling Tynecastle will be eager for Kitchen to be the latest success story from Levein's imaginative scouting and recruitment network. Time will tell if his enthusiastic references from MLS experts translate to a player who can grab Scottish football by the scruff of the neck - and fill a gaping hole in Neilson's midfield balance."