Time to get my big mate John sized up for Scotland Soutt
Aaron Hughes has tipped Hearts team-mate John Souttar to become a Scotland star.
And he reckons it won’t be too long before the vultures start circling to tempt the Jambos’ prized asset away from Tynecastle.
Veteran Hughes became the Home Nations’ most-capped defender when he made his 109th appearance for Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off second leg against Switzerland in November – breaking English legend Bobby Moore’s long-standing record.
The 38-year-old has been around the block and insists young Tynecastle stopper Souttar, 21, has the football world at his feet.
When asked if former Dundee United defender Souttar was ready to play for Scotland, Hughes said: “Definitely. And I wouldn’t be surprised if other teams start looking at him as well.
“He can be very good – he’s got the world at his feet if he can keep going the way he’s going. He definitely has a big future in the game.
“He is a fantastic player and I really enjoy playing alongside him. He’s an easy guy to play alongside.
“Sometimes that’s how I judge players.
“He’s a mature player for his age, not just on the pitch. He has a good future and a good head on his shoulders.”
Next up for Hearts on their return from a five-day winter training camp in Valencia is the small matter of the Edinburgh derby.
The mouth-watering fourth-round Scottish Cup clash against Hibs takes place at Tynecastle next Sunday.
And Hughes has no intention of seeing Jambos’ Cup hopes bite the dust at the hands of their fierce rivals for a third successive season.
Hibs won a replay en route to winning the trophy for the first time in 114 years back in 2016 then hammered Ian Cathro’s men 3-1 at Easter Road last season.
Hughes is not only targeting victory over former Northern Ireland team-mate Neil Lennon, he hopes that his spell in Gorgie can have a silver lining and Hearts can go all the way in the Cup.
Hughes said: “I’m looking forward to it – it’s a Cup game and there’s a big incentive having been knocked out in the last couple of years as well. It would be nice to progress in the Cup.
“I was here last year when it happened and I had been told about the year before as well.
“There’s an incentive there on top of the fact that it’s a derby. It’s important to remember amid all the hype aroundd it that it’s a Scottishsh Cup tie and there’se’s a trophy at thee end of it. Thatat can get lost a bit.
“It’s a chance to get a trophy at the end of the season and that would be huge.
“I don’t speak to Neil Lennonn regularly butut certainly if I bumped into him it’s easy to have a conversationon with himhim.
“I knew him through the Northern Ireland thing.” Hughes has been plagued by a niggling calf injury and took most of the festive period off for a well-earned rest. The veteran has been doing yoga sessions in order to help him
recover. However, Hughes admits that he is still not sure when he will finally call it quits.
He said: “I took most of the time off over Christmas – it’s a break for a reason.
“It’s about switching off mentally as well. It’s nice not to have to get up in the morning and think about the day ahead.
“My calf injury is one of those things you get on with and get through.
“You think you’re on top of it then it pops up. One day it’s sore, you keep going then actually it’s all right.
“It can be frustrating sometimes but you have to accept it and get on with it.
“I’m trying everything. We’ve got a yoga instructor who comes in on recovery days so that all helps in different ways.
“I’m not looking too far ahead at the minute. I’m just managing each week as it comes.
“The first-team games are the most important thing and if I can get through them then it’s job done.
“I can’t really look too far ahead anyway with the nature of how things have been. “You adjust your week and do what needneeds doing so you cacan get read ready for tha that Aaaron Hughes believes Michael O’Neill has unfinished business with Northern Ireland and hopes he can be persuaded to stay on as boss. The SFA are set to kick- off contract talks with O’Neill about the Scotland job after reaching an agreement with the IFA over compensation. But Hearts defender Hughes, who has 109 caps with the Irish, said: “It would be huge if we could keep hold of him, especially with what he has done over the last few years. “His input through the years is slowly taking shape, not just for us but the whole association, so it would be fantastic if he stayed.” wee week and to go again. “It has been good to come here to Valencia andget and get back into the swing of things.”
Hughes paid tribute to the Hearts defence for achieving a club record six consecutive clean sheets in the Premiership matches before the winter break.
He said: “It is nice to have. I just came in at the end of it against Aberdeen but it is good for the likes of John Souttar, Christophe Berra and Jon McLaughlin in goals who have played through most of it.
“It’s always great to get these things. Strikers get their goals but for defenders clean sheets are our goals.”