They are heroes in the present but not always for the future

 How vital are loan signings to Scottish clubs?

There have been 68 loan signings in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, and a lot of these players have already made serious impacts for their clubs.

So, here are some exciting loan prospects from different teams in the league, that may well make a difference as we approach an exciting part of the season.

Filip Lissah of Falkirk has been a key part of John McGlynn’s side this year. The on-loan Swansea defender is a key asset for how Falkirk are performing in the league so far, and with talent in both the attacking and defending field, he may well be a main factor if Falkirk get top six this season.

Julian Araujo has certainly cemented his place in Martin O’ Neill’s squad for the time being. The Bournemouth loanee showed his quality in Celtic’s recent match against Kilmarnock, scoring a last-minute winner to keep The Hoops deep in the mix of this title race. He has been a key factor of Celtic’s winning run domestically since O’ Neill was reintroduced.

Mikey Moore has progressed well under Danny Rohl. Coming to Scotland with huge pressure at such a young age, the Rangers support have been able to see Moore’s quality in recent weeks. Although the numbers do not do much justice for the Spurs loanee, he has shown a real spark in this title-chasing Rangers side in many games.

At Fir Park, Stephen Welsh has been immense in Jens Berthel Askou’s side so far this season, and this has been rewarded with the most clean sheets in the league at this moment in time. Returning to Celtic for a brief period in January, Askou and the rest of the Motherwell squad would have been delighted to see Welsh return to Motherwell for the rest of the season. And if he keeps up this brilliant form until the end of the season, he may well end up on that flight to North America for the World Cup come June.

Jacob Devaney of St Mirren, who only joined on deadline day, has been a shining light in a challenging time for The Buddies. The Man United loanee has captained the U21 Red Devils on many occasions this year and has already brought that maturity into his spell in Paisley.

As the season comes to crunch time, clubs across the country will be looking for some of their star players to shine. And with a lot of loanees in the league, it will be a wonderful opportunity for some of those players to show their quality to both parent and current club.