Aaron’s destiny decider
Aaron Hughes has revealed he’ll take the summer to decide whether today’s trip to Kilmarnock will bring the curtain down on his 21-year club career.
The most-capped outfield player in Northern Ireland history has a new deal on the table from Hearts for next season.
But the 38-year-old defender, who has 110 caps, says if he doesn’t sign it he will retire.
Hughes said: “I’ll get to the end of the season then give myself a few weeks to think.
“Craig Levein has been great and says I don’t have to rush a decision.
“Mentally, I need a bit of break to weigh things up. There’s an offer if I still want to play but it’s more a decision about my entire future.
“I was never looking past this season. And it’s not a matter of looking elsewhere. I’m just at an age when I need to be sure that whatever decision I make is right.
“I don’t want to commit then realise I can’t maintain the standards I expect of myself.
“But it’s not a decision I’ll be making on the back of how my body feels, it’s more about where my head is. Ultimately the head rules the body.”
Levein has praised Hughes for his influence on Hearts’ young team.
But the veteran says the Jambo kids don’t need nursing. He said: “They’ve exceeded all expectations. Harry Cochrane is the one everyone’s looking at and I’d be shocked if he isn’t a future Scotland star.
“The Hearts kids learn in training, they’ll ask questions, and in games they do what’s asked of them. When I was young, I learned from the senior lads – guys like Rob Lee, Alan Shearer and Gary Speed. Big characters.
“There was no arm round your shoulder – you had to emulate the standards they set day in day out.”