Robbie Neilson, captain of Hearts, last night admitted that walking away from a club he has served for more than 13 years will be a wrench as he prepares to make a move to Leicester City.

The 28-year-old right-back has agreed to move to the newly promoted Championship outfit next season on a three-year deal and will bid farewell to the club's supporters against Celtic tomorrow. He will be the second captain that Csaba Laszlo has lost in the past six months following Christophe Berra's move to Wolves in January, with the club paying the price for failing to act quicker in sorting out fresh terms for Neilson.

The full-back spoke recently of hoping to extend his stay, and even held initials talks with Sergejus Fedotovas, the Hearts director, last weekend. However the offer from the English club, which will more than double Neilson's weekly wage, came less than 48 hours later and the deal was finalised yesterday after he returned north following discussions with Leicester officials.

"I have really enjoyed my time at Hearts and would like to thank all the supporters, staff and players who have provided fantastic support to me over the years," Neilson said. "It's an extremely difficult decision to leave a club which has been such an influence on my career and Tynecastle will always hold a special place in my heart.

"I'd like to wish Hearts every success in the future and hope the club continues to progress to the ultimate goal of league glory. Once again, thank you for your fantastic support over 13 unforgettable years of my career."

Neilson follows in the footsteps of former team-mates Mark De Vries, Alan Maybury, Patrick Kisnorbo and Joe Hamill who were signed by the Midlands side by Craig Levein shortly after he made the switch from Tynecastle to the Walkers Stadium in October 2004.

Nigel Pearson, the current Leicester manager, insists that Neilson's experience will prove vital on their return to the Championship.

"We are absolutely delighted to have secured Robbie for the football club," he said. "He will bring quality, experience and a winning mentality, all of which we have no doubt will enhance our squad for the season ahead.

"On meeting with Robbie, his leadership qualities were obvious. I am also keen to highlight we are continuing our policy of signing players who genuinely want to play for Leicester City and Robbie certainly fits that criteria."

Christian Nade, meanwhile, has insisted he is ready to play in Neilson's farewell match, despite playing through the pain barrier all season. The Frenchman will undergo a hernia operation next week to finally cure a problem that has troubled him since August.

He has played his part in helping Hearts' secure third spot but he feels the injury has restricted his running, perhaps explaining his low three-goal tally. However, the 24-year-old has no intention of telling Laszlo he needs to be rested this weekend, especially when Celtic are the only top flight opponents Hearts have not beaten this term.

"I've been feeling the pain since the very first game of the season but with tablets it's been less and I've been able to play on," Nade said. "If we had more strikers then maybe I could've had two or three weeks out and that may have helped cure the problem. But we don't so I've kept playing and playing and now I'm not as strong as I should be.

"It's frustrating because this is the first time since I've been at Hearts that I've been able to play a lot of games. "I've not been able to do my very best, but I will go to Celtic Park thinking positively because we want to win this game. Celtic are the only team we have not beaten this season so we would like to win.

"The pressure is not on us. But if we lost 5-0 you can still feel bad - even if you don't care.

But it's important to win this game. It's going to be better because we can enjoy the game and maybe play better."