Aaron’s flap of honour
Craig Levein watched “unf lappable” Aaron Hickey thrive in a Scottish Cup Final at the age of 16 – and is backing the teenager to excel on the international stage.
Hickey has been handed a maiden Scotland call-up for the friendlies against Poland and either Wales or Austria.
The 19- year- old is making a name for himself starring in Italy’s Serie A with Bologna.
Levein handed the teen his debut at Hearts against Aberdeen in May 2019 before throwing him into a narrow Hampden defeat to Celtic a fortnight later.
Hickey, who moved to Italy in summer 2020, is the youngest player to start in the showpiece event.
And former Hearts and Scotland boss Levein is convinced nothing on the football pitch flusters the
left- back. Levein said: “When I think back to that cup final, he was so young.
“He played well against the Dons on his debut then equally as well in the final.
“Celtic had very few opportunities in the final. I don’t recall Aaron making any errors in the match.
“But what gave me comfort is that he is pretty much unflappable.
“He doesn’t react to anything emotionally. It allows him to perform at a really high level when the pressure is on.
“I was thrilled for him for that performance and getting a move. The fact he is playing in Serie A every week says a lot about him.
“It was just a matter of time before he got called up to the national team.
“Aaron could do a job just about anywhere. He is two-footed, athletic, calm, aggressive when he needs to be.
“He deserves everything he’s got and I’m delighted. What he has done is really quite remarkable.”