Craig Halkett fully deserves his call into the Scotland squad.
And if Barrie McKay keeps his form and scores outrageous goals like he did against Livingston, he’ll be next.
When I think across Scotland and the players in any position who could or might have been called up who hadn’t been before, I don’t think anyone deserves it more than Craig.
He’ll probably slot silently into the camp because he just quietly goes about his business. Gets his head down and performs.
Craig just gets on with it and you only realise how big a player he is for Hearts when he is not in the side. I can pay him no higher compliment in terms of Hearts to say I feel he’s a bigger miss for the club when he’s absent than John Souttar.
That’s nothing against John, it’s just how valuable I see Craig to the team. Throughout this full season, there has been such a song and dance about John coming back and doing well.
Then there was the Rangers saga with John through January about: Is he going or staying?
John is a top player and I am taking nothing away from him, but I feel Hearts have missed Craig more when he’s been out than they did John when he was out. That’s how I see it.
When Craig was out, you could see there was a massive gap and something missing.
When John was out and Craig was still there, I don’t feel it was as big a hole.
Barrie aside, Craig’s been Hearts’ outstanding player this season.
The only thing that has been missing for Barrie has been goals, but that first one of the season against Livi last Saturday was absolutely ridiculous.
I’m not kidding, I’d have broken my hip if I’d tried to get a leg that high.
That just shows the quality he has got and the talent he has.
I should say, that win capped a routine success over Livingston and it’s brilliant for Hearts to be able to come through those types of games with a belief it was going to happen.
There’s a confidence there. It’s not arrogance, it’s confidence. Livingston can be a good and dangerous team, yet you sense Hearts go into any match of that nature feeling as though they are going to win.
That’s just the way it seems and that’s a terrific feeling for any Hearts fan.
As I said, Barrie’s goal to cap it was brilliant and, as special as it was, it doesn’t really shock you knowing what he’s got in the locker.
Having watched how Barrie trained on his own with his personal trainer for months before getting his move to Hearts, the attitude is clearly spot on.
The thing about Barrie is that his talent has never been in doubt. It’s always just been about consistency and the question of doing it regularly.
Barrie has answered that this season with his performances. He’s been superb and the thing that will take him to that next level is adding goals. Getting five or 10 a season.
I’m excited and waiting to see him kick on and do that because I am convinced he is more than capable of doing so and becoming a proper, proper player.
For Barrie, I’m sure it’ll be the mindset to finish this season strongly and, when you do that, you go into the summer and don’t want to rest on laurels.
You can’t go away and dine out on it. Automatically, you go away and try to get faster and stronger and think about what you can do to be even better the next time.
Listen, he’s one who could go back down to England if he keeps it up through next season again at Hearts because he’s only 27 years of age and can manage that level again having been at clubs such as Nottingham Forest and Swansea.
Barrie’s become such a massive contributor to Hearts. Maintain those standards levels and he’ll also get back into the Scotland set-up.
For now, though, it’s Craig’s turn. And I don’t think anyone can say it’s not fully deserved.
