World Cup break will be decision time for Gordon
Craig Gordon admits he could have a decision to make on his Scotland future come November.
The veteran Hearts keeper has no plans to slow down, especially since a career-threatening knee injury kept him out of football for more than two years before he joined Celtic in 2014.
Gordon had an outstanding campaign last season and was voted the Scottish Football Writers’ and PFA Player of the Year.
He helped get the Jambos into Europe, which guaranteed at least eight additional matches this season.
Throw in domestic outings and three Scotland UEFA Nations League ties, and Gordon faces the prospect of 29 games in only three-anda-half months, prior to the World Cup shutdown.
Gordon admits that how his body is feeling at that point could determine whether he can continue to commit to international duty.
He is now seventh on the all-time international roll of honour after he collected his 70th cap in last month’s UEFA Nations League win in Armenia.
The 39-year-old said: “I still plan to play for Scotland as long as I can. The goals just get shorter and shorter at the moment.
“We’ve got a break in November, which isn’t what anybody wanted, and that now makes the next three or four months a sort of mini-season.
“The aim for me is to get through to there, and see how things are after that. But I certainly want to keep playing at the highest level, keep training and keep my body in the best condition I possibly can.
“I’ve no end date in my mind. If I still feel good, then I’ll still play.”
At 77.2%, Gordon had the best record for shots saved among his peers in last season’s Premiership. He would love to maintain that form, but acknowledges he has set the bar high.
“It could well be one of the best seasons I’ve played,” he admitted.
“My form was probably as good as it’s ever been, and it will be a challenge to keep that level going.
“I made a lot of saves, but just the way that everything came together for Hearts in general gave us a feel-good factor.
“Getting that relationship with the fans back was great. They really backed us, Tynecastle was a good place to play, and difficult for other teams to come to.
“If we can keep trying to play our best football, then the fans appreciate the effort we’re trying to put in to be successful.
“It feels as if the club’s on an upward trajectory at the moment. It’s up to us to keep it going that way.”
Gordon refused the offer of additional time off to link up with the Hearts squad at their training camp in Spain.
He said: “Was it enough time to recharge? “I had about 10 days. It’ll do!”