Neilson reckons Souttar could make grade for the cup final
JOHN SOUTTAR will continue his comeback from injury against Motherwell tonight and Hearts manager Robbie Neilson remains adamant the Rangers-bound defender is in line to play against his future employers in the Scottish Cup final.
As Hearts’ injury concerns ease further ahead of the trip to Hampden in 10 days’ time, Souttar is expected to be an unused substitute at Fir Park, just as he was for Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Celtic. Andy Halliday, Aaron McEneff, Cammy Devlin and Michael Smith are all due to feature against the Steelmen following spells on the sidelines.
Craig Halkett is also scheduled to make his bid for cup final inclusion in the final warmup match, against Rangers in the league, this weekend.
However, given the 25-year-old has penned a pre-contract agreement to join final opponents Rangers this summer, Souttar’s anticipated return from an ankle injury sustained at the start of March has attracted perhaps the most attention of the walking wounded. With silverware on the line and fitness required to be involved in Scotland’s forthcoming World Cup play-off against Ukraine and Nations League matches, Neilson has backed Souttar to make it.
“We’ll have McEneff, Smith, Devlin, Halliday, and Souttar will be on the bench,” explained Neilson. “He won’t play, but he’ll be available for Saturday. The hope for Halkett is Saturday too.
“I’d rather it was three or four weeks ago because now they’ll go into these games not 100 per cent fit. That’s the dilemma we have. Where will they be fitness-wise going into a massive game?
“They don’t need to prove themselves because they’ve been working hard. It’s more mentally for them to be able to say, ‘I’m ready’. If they’ve played some minutes against Motherwell or against Rangers, they can say ‘I’m ready to go’, as opposed to just rocking up at Hampden.
“But it’s just the nature of where we are at the moment. We just need to assess them all and see where we are.”
Asked specifically about Souttar and his likely availability for the cup final if fit, Neilson added: “John is a Hearts player, and he wants to do well for Hearts. Whenever John plays he’ll give 100 per cent. The carrot for him is the cup final and Scotland in the summer, so he wants to play well and do that.”
Hearts midfielder Halliday, meanwhile, has revealed he has received a painkilling injection in a bid to be fit for the final.
The 30-year-old has been trying to manage a troublesome Achilles issue that flared up again in the semi-final triumph over rivals Hibernian last month.
He returned to action a fortnight later, playing the final 20 minutes as a substitute against Ross County, but subsequently opted for a jag to help ensure he was available to face his old club.
“It’s been a frustrating period for myself,” he said. “One of the things I’m always proud of is my availability; I’ve not had many injuries since I was a younger player.
“Thankfully it’s eight days since the injection now. I’m feel
ing pain free, so it’s just about getting back out there.
“If it wasn’t for the final I’m sure the discussion would have been had with the medical staff and the manager about whether to get the injection.
“There was no chance I was going to miss out on a cup final though.”
Hearts will not be short of motivation in their quest for silverware in the final, but Halliday has revealed he has been inspired by seeing the club’s successful 2012 squad inducted into the hall of fame at the weekend.
“You can see how highly regarded they [the 2012 players] are by the club and the fans,” said Halliday, who was a beaten finalist with Rangers in 2016 and with Hearts in 2020. “That has to inspire.”