Hickey will fight hard to salvage Euro dream
Pressley urges Tartan Army not to write off injured defender too soon
STEVEN PRESSLEY says a chat with Aaron Hickey convinced him that the Brentford defender isn’t about to give up on his Euro 2024 dream — even though time is now against him.
The 21-year-old full-back hasn’t kicked a ball for his club since facing Chelsea on October 28 due to a persistent hamstring injury.
Last week, Bees boss Thomas Frank revealed that the former Hearts and Bologna player was unlikely to play again this season, putting his participation in Germany this summer in serious doubt.
Ahead of the opener against the hosts in Munich on June 14, Steve Clarke’s side will take on Gibraltar and Finland, but those friendlies alone may not be considered sufficient to get Hickey fully up to speed.
With Everton yet to reveal the extent of the injury Nathan Patterson suffered against Chelsea, Anthony Ralston of Celtic is currently the only fit right-back used by Clarke in recent times.
But Pressley (right), who is now head of individual player development at Brentford, believes Hickey has a steely determination to ensure he still makes it.
‘I had a coffee in the canteen with him, so we were chatting about it,’ said the ex-Hearts skipper.
‘He said to me that he was going to give this a real go.
‘My advice to him was that, from my own experience as a young player, you always think these opportunities will come around again and again.
‘I won the Scottish Cup at 18 and I don’t think (I got the next one) until I was 32!
‘My point being to Aaron is that the landscape changes. Just now I look at Scotland and I think we’re going to qualify for a number of tournaments coming up, but that might not be the case.
‘This might be your only chance to play at a major tournament. So, if you have a chance, you’ve got to take it.
‘I got the impression from speaking to him, even though he might not make it, that he’s going to give this a real go. I think he understands. Who wouldn’t want to be involved in the opening game of a tournament against the host nation? Wow! ‘He’s not out on the grass training. He’s not been involved just yet.
‘With recent news about Patterson as well, it would be a big plus for Scotland if he was fit because Aaron is an outstanding player. ‘He really is a player I think could go on to the next level. I think he could play at the top.’ lSteven Pressley was promoting Premier Sports’ live and exclusive coverage of Rangers v Hearts on Sunday. Premier Sports is available to stream from premiersports.com or via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.