Souttar keeps it simple in bid to be master of his craft for Hearts

WHEN a centre-half two years his senior rated in the £50million bracket is the subject of scorching criticism for indulging in overplaying, John Souttar might feel more comfortable about some of the disparaging analysis of his style of defending.

In-demand John Stones endured uncomfortable times in front of the Everton crowd as high-profile errors contributed to a dip in form for he and his club.

A clip round the ear was what David Moyes prescribed for the 21-year-old when scrutinising a propensity for risk-taking and forgoing the basics of his job.

Back in Edinburgh, Robbie Neilson has set about something of a correction procedure for his ball-playing defender Souttar and the teenager has been grateful to embrace the challenge of change since joining Hearts on deadline day in February.

Souttar admits he was left to his own devices too often at Dundee United, where he had been in the system since nine years old and debuted at 16 for the first team.

The damage done there flared up once or twice in the second half of last season in Hearts colours.

So, while there will be no knocking the natural talent out of Souttar at Tynecastle, an improvement of the fundamentals of the art of defending has been prioritised ahead of Hearts kicking off their Ladbrokes Premiership season at home to Celtic today.

Souttar said: ‘I know at times I have overplayed, which is something a lot of young centre-halves do.

‘But you don’t come in at 19 years old and be the finished article.

‘I’m sure a lot of big centre-halves have made errors down the line.

‘It’s all about learning. But first and foremost I am a defender and I want to keep goals out of the net. Anything that comes on top of that is a bonus.

‘The best in the business can do the basics and the other stuff. I want to be able do both.

‘That comes with experience, I think. Look at John Terry. He’s good on the ball but first and foremost he is a defender.

‘And all of the top defenders are, first and foremost, defenders. That’s what the gaffer has drilled into me. Sometimes when I was younger at 17, 18, I would come out with the ball and pass it.

‘And think that was all I needed to do. It’s not. There’s a lot more to it than that. ‘As I get physically stronger, I am working my hardest behind the scenes to make myself a better player. The gaffer has taken me on to the pitch to work on my heading. ‘He has shown me video clips about how he wants me to defend. So it’s defend first. ‘There are a lot of people behind the scenes, from video analysis to sports science, helping me too. ‘When I was at United, I wasn’t physically developed and that wasn’t United’s fault, that was my fault too. ‘But since coming here I have maybe seen the light and I’ve enjoyed it. The club’s set-up is second to none. I’ve done more work with John Hill (sports scientist) in the gym.’ Souttar insists that mental toughness is already a strong attribute requiring little by way of tweaking. He quickly moved on from a troubled afternoon on the last occasion Celtic hit town. That was when Ronny Deila’s team effectively clinched the title with a 3-1 victory and Souttar suffered in the build-up to both second half goals. ‘A lot of people would hide and not take it and crumble in front of a big crowd at Tynecastle but when you do make mistakes it shows your character if you go and take the ball again,’ said Souttar (below). ‘That’s what big players do again and again and again. And in the end, when you’re older, you learn from stuff like that. ‘When you play Celtic you need to believe you are good enough. I think as a group we do. We’re maturing all the time. And I think we are confident going into it. The young players have all had another year under their belts, we are more experienced. ‘As for myself, when I was at Dundee United I knew everyone, I was in my own comfort zone. Here, I’m totally out of it. I’ve moved away from family and live on my own, I’m enjoying it. I’ve learned a lot on and off the pitch and that can only be good. ‘I think I’ve matured both as a person and a player since coming here. ‘There’s a positive atmosphere with great characters in the changing room, which I think can only be a positive thing.’