ALBION loanee Alex Cochrane believes he has “come on leaps and bounds” during his loan stint with Scottish side Hearts.

The full-back has been on loan with the Scottish Premier League side this season and has become a regular on the team sheet.

The 21-year-old has made 16 appearances in the SPL, scoring two goals and assisting one more.

He told the Evening Edinburgh News: “I feel I’ve got more experience under my belt.

“There are still areas of my game I need to work on but, at the same time, I’m still young.

The Argus: Alex Cochrane is contracted to Brighton and Hove AlbionAlex Cochrane is contracted to Brighton and Hove Albion

“It’s stuff I need to improve on in training but I feel I’ve come on a lot since the start of the season.

“We’re more than halfway through now. I feel I’ve really come on leaps and bounds with Hearts, especially defensively.

“It’s something I’ve been working on and I’ve made sure I’ve been knuckling down.

“Going forward, I’ve been getting more freedom into my play and linking up with players.

“I feel I’m doing that more and more this season.”

The defender had been a part of the Albion youth academy since 2019 and has spent time on loan at non-league side East Grinstead and Union SG in Belgium.

Hearts are keen to wrap up a permanent deal for Cochrane if he is not able to break into the first team at Albion.

This could be likely as Marc Cucurella has become the first-choice in the position and is only 23-years-old.

When asked about his future, Cochrane said: “There has been nothing yet at all. Nothing has been said.

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Cochrane's contract at Albion is set to expire at the end of the season and would be free to leave to the club.

Albion would be entitled to compensation for the effort put into his development should this happen.

This would be a significantly smaller fee that a potential transfer so the club could look to cash in during the current transfer window.