Halkett could see promise in McKay at Ibrox academy
CRAIG HALKETT had a fair idea that Barrie McKay would go on to enjoy a successful playing career after lining up alongside the winger in the Rangers academy.
Now as Hearts team-mates, Halkett has hailed the forward’s ability to influence games and is in no doubt that McKay will have a big impact in the team’s bid to flourish not only domestically but also in Europe.
McKay has shone since returning to Scotland with Hearts last September, so much so that before his first season at Tynecastle was even over the club tied him down on an improved three-year deal.
McKay’s skill was encapsulated in a moment of brilliance on the opening day of the Premiership season when he scored a fine solo goal in the 2-1 victory over Ross County.
He will no doubt be a marked man in today’s Edinburgh derby at city rivals Hibs, but Halkett insists the 27-year-old has the ability to shake off any unwanted attention
“Technically, Barrie is right up there with the very best I’ve played with,” said Halkett. “He can do stuff with the football other players can’t do.
“For a forward player, they’re judged on their decision making and end product.
“Barrie’s a player who gets his decision right more often than not. That’s why he’s been so good for us.
“Last season, it was spoken about that he maybe didn’t score enough goals, but he’s started this season flying and scored on the opening day.
“It’s the other things he does for the team as well. He creates, gets assists, he moves opposition defenders into places they don’t want to be. He brings so much to the team.”
Even though McKay’s career south the border did not pan out the way he wanted following spells with Nottingham Forest and Swansea, Halkett still believes he is a better player for that experience.
He added: “Barrie is six or seven months older than me and played in the year above at Rangers.
“But I played in a few games with him when I was younger.
“I trained with him a lot so I’ve known him for quite a while.
“He was really good at Rangers when he broke into the first team.
“But he’s gone away and played down south for a few years. He’s learned a lot there.
“Since he came back, I’ve noticed a big difference in him.
“He’s just more experienced, you can see he’s learned the game down there.”
Hearts face Hibs today and Dundee United next weekend before their European games kick in.
The Gorgie side will face at least eight games on the continent until November 3.
Either Linfield or FC Zurich await Hearts in the Europa League play-off round on August 18 and 25.
And in a change from the norm, Neilson insists Hearts will forgo the opportunity to train at their opponent’s ground when they travel away in Europe in a bid to keep the players fresh.
Neilson explained: “We spoke to a few different clubs who have been in Europe, different people within those clubs.
“Most of the feedback was that you have the issues with travelling and then training.
“Because you have a lot of press to do, you train late at night, eat late at night, get to bed late.
“We felt it was best we do the work here and then travel over.
“Hopefully the squad is robust enough to deal with all these games.”