Payback all part of plan for Souttar
JOHN SOUTTAR admits he owes Hearts a debt of gratitude. and what would be better repayment than by helping them win the Scottish Cup for the first time since 2012?
the central defender is now spoken about as a potential Scotland starter and an English Premier League-bound prospect. But it’s easy to forget that, when director of football Craig Levein went back to his former club to sign Souttar on deadline day in January 2016, he was struggling in a Dundee united team at the foot of the Premiership.
ahead of today’s cup clash with St Johnstone, the 21-year-old aims to continue the path laid out for him by Levein — and get a win for supporters who deserve some payback.
‘I owe this club,’ said Souttar, who made his senior debut for the tannadice side aged 16. ‘Hearts took me when I was struggling the most in my career. the gaffer sat down with me and set out a plan.
‘He told me what he wanted me to do and where I could improve — and that, if I worked hard, I would.
‘thankfully it has gone well, so far. If we were to get a cup win this year it would top it all off, not just for me but the club in general.’
Souttar has come on quickly this year, with Levein’s return as head coach helping a process that also involves veteran defenders Christophe Berra and aaron Hughes.
It also suits the youngster, still subject to occasional criticism about being ‘too much of a footballer’ to be a centre-half, that he’s playing in an atmosphere where punters appreciate the ugly side of the game.
Contrasting the Scottish game with former united team-mate ryan Gauld’s more cultured experiences in Portugal, Souttar smiled as he said: ‘It’s a bit surreal.
‘We were talking about that after the last derby, how my tackle got the biggest cheer of the day.
‘I speak to Gauldy and he says there’s just silence when you tackle over there. You probably get a cheer for a back pass — something that would get you booed here.
‘It’s just the nature of the league and the fans, they just want highintensity football all the time.
‘You need to be mentally strong to play here. Everyone says that. We need to give them something to cheer.
‘We can’t expect them to be lively when there is nothing for them to be lively for.
‘In terms of my development, the gaffer was a top centre-half in his own right. then there are Christophe and aaron.
‘Hughesy probably thinks I am interviewing him every day, with all the questions I ask him!
‘these boys have been where you, as a young player, want to go. they’ve won caps, they’ve played at the highest level. You can only learn from them.’
In the stand as a 14-year-old when Dundee united won the Scottish Cup in 2010, Souttar was then in and around the first team when they returned to the final four years later.
But not close enough to play a part in a defeat to St Johnstone, today’s visitors to tynecastle.
‘I remember being gutted that I wasn’t playing,’ he recalled. ‘Both Gauldy and I played in the semi but the gaffer (Jackie McNamara) didn’t play us in the final.
‘It was a strange, strange day. I remember it seemed like it was all united fans, they must have taken something like 40,000 to Parkhead. It was disappointing to lose but it shows you anything can happen in the cup.
‘We were strong favourites that day, we were flying in the league, so it shows that you can’t take anything for granted.
‘at 16, 17 and 18 I was involved in semi-finals and finals. I just thought it would be the norm.
‘But since I have been here it hasn’t been the case. Hopefully we can change that.’