Shankland puts Hearts’ cup final bid above Euros dream
Lawrence Shankland insisted that his full focus on Sunday will be on trying to lead Hearts into the Scottish Cup final as opposed to enhancing his own Euro 2024 prospects.
The 28-year-old forward will captain the Jambos in their semi-final showdown with Rangers at Hampden as they strive to end a 12-year wait for silverware.
A positive contribution from Shankland in such a showpiece fixture is likely to bolster his chances of going to the Euros and possibly boost his hopes of being first-choice striker for Scotland boss Steve Clarke, right, in Germany this summer.
However, the forward is adamant his only concern this weekend will be trying to help ensure his team perform better than they did when losing 3-1 to Rangers at the same stage of the League Cup back in November.
“Of course it could maybe help in the bigger picture, but I think the sole focus has to be on trying to win the semifinal,” said Shankland.
“I think you would probably be silly to have your mindset anywhere else than just trying to win that game and get the opportunity to play in a Scottish Cup final. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that and put up a better show than the last time we played at Hampden.”
Shankland's future has been the source of speculation for most of this season. The freescoring striker, who remains contracted to Hearts until the summer of 2025, was heavily linked with a move away from Tynecastle in January and a similar narrative is likely to develop as the end of the campaign approaches.
“You obviously see your name getting touted about everywhere, but I don’t think my concentration or my form ever changed in terms of my club football," he said.
“I felt that was the best thing for me to focus my mind on and it worked, and my form continued throughout it. It was more the outside noise and it’s probably nice to stop hearing your name for a bit! it’ s just one of those things, and if you are doing well, then that can happen.”
Shankland has scored 28 goals for Hearts in all competitions this season, and also bagged his second international goal with an injury-time equaliser for Scotland against Georgia in November.
He was handed only his second start for Scotland in the 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands in amsterdam last month and, despite missing a clear opportunity, hitting the bar when through on goal, most felt his overall performance was a positive one.
Shankland is bidding to become the first hearts striker to surpass 30 goals in a season since John Robertson scored 31 way back in 1987/88. He feels he has thrived since being handed the Hearts captaincy after goalkeeper Craig Gordon suffered a serious injury in December 2022.
“It probably helps your development asap layer ,” he said. “No matter what age you are, you can always learn, and I feel like it’s been a big learning curve for me. It’s been a responsibility I need to deal with that I maybe didn’t need to deal with before when I was just a boy in the changing room, so it’s been good. It’s been an opportunity that I’ve enjoyed, and if eel like i’ ve dealt with it pretty well.
“It’s a good thing to captain Hearts. It’s a big club, and it was a good opportunity for me. i’ ve thoroughly enjoyed it .”
I think you’d probably be silly to have your mindset anywhere else Lawrence Shankland