Souttar admits he owes it all to ex-boss Robbie
John Souttar is adamant he owes his career to Robbie Neilson, as he described the criticism received by the former Hearts head coach during a largely impressive tenure at Tynecastle as ‘ridiculous’.
The 22-year-old readily accepts his career was ‘stagnating’ at Dundee United in January 2016, when Neilson came calling.
After a protracted pursuit, the Jambos agreed a £120,000 fee with United at the third time of asking and the move was completed with just five minutes to spare in the winter transfer window.
That price-tag now looks like a steal, given Souttar has gone on to become a mainstay for Hearts, win three caps for Scotland and, amid interest from south of the border, is valued at around £5 million by the capital club.
But Souttar reckons that fraught evening was a sliding-doors moment in his career – and will always owe a debt of gratitude to Neilson and current manager Craig Levein for making it happen.
“I remember Hearts bid £ 90,000, then £100,000 and Dundee United were saying no,” Souttar recalled.
“It got to the last day of the January window and they accepted £120,000. I came down the road and did the medical that night.
“I signed with five minutes to go and, looking back, it was a massive point in my progress. I don’t know what would have happened to me because I was stagnating at United.
“It was the wake-up call I needed. When I made the move, United were just going one way, really, and I’m thankful that Robbie got me out.
“Robbie signed me and then worked wonders for me.
“He basically said: ‘You are a centre-half, and you’ll play centre-half’. He wanted to work on me one-to-one and, as a defender himself, he did a lot with me on heading the ball and being physical.
“He was big on the importance of the gym and that was ideal for me.”
However, Neilson was targeted by a vocal minority of detractors, with the nadir of the criticism coming during a Premiership fixture against Partick Thistle in March, 2016, when a banner was flown over Tynecastle reading: ‘No style, no bottle, Neilson out’.
Hearts were third in the league when the dumbfounding stunt took place, having cruised to the Championship title ahead of Hibs and Rangers with a record-breaking points total in the previous campaign.
“That banner was ridiculous, looking back,” continued Souttar. “He won the league at the first time of asking and some of the stick he got was extremely harsh.
“He’s a top manager, and a good man. I hope he gets Dundee United promoted this season.”
Friday night’s visit of United in the Betfred Cup will be the first time Neilson has been back in the Tynecastle dugout since that night.
Meanwhile, Craig Levein believes Sean Clare is now tough enough to shine in the Hearts engine- room following a crash course in Scottish football.
Clare, 22, arrived at Tynecastle amid much fanfare last summer after the Jambos fought off competition from a host of suitors south of the border to seal a £150,000 deal.
However, he toiled to adapt to the frenetic nature of the SPFL and, with the game often passing him by in the heart of midfield, he found himself either shunted out to the flank or utilised behind the striker.
“Sean understands the game more than he did when he arrived,” explained Levein. “Every league has its own idiosyncrasies.
“Sean took a long time last season to understand that the ball changes hands in Scotland more than any other country.
“As the season wore on, we had more conversations about it. I’ve noticed in our preseason matches already that Sean has been much sharper in that regard. That will help him to be more effective.
“I always planned to play him in central midfield, but if he’s not as aware of what the most important things are then he ends up playing out on the side. Now he DOES understand and he has an awful lot to offer.”