Craig Halkett targets third time lucky for Hearts against ‘European giant’ as defender looks to shake curse

Craig Halkett targets third-time lucky for Hearts against ‘European giant’ as defender looks to shake curse

Over the last three seasons, the huge defender’s Euro odyssey has been a tale of injury woes, but now is the perfect moment to turn that around.

Since he first took the stage with Hearts two years ago, Craig Halkett could be forgiven for believing that his ambition of travelling to Europe was doomed.

It was terrible that he had to limp off after only seven minutes of his European debut against FC Zurich in an August 2022 Europa League playoff. It was tragic that he only played 23 minutes when he returned four weeks later against RFS in the Conference League due to the same hamstring problem reoccurring. However, it was still far less severe than the ACL injury that struck three months later and ended the 29-year-old’s year.

With Frankie Kent, Kye Rowles, and Stephen Kingsley as the Jambos’ preferred central defensive choices, the massive defender has been relegated to observing from the sidelines on the team’s trips this season, and that combined half hour of action is still all he has on his Euro CV.

The former Livingston custodian could maintain his position in the back four against Copenhagen thanks to his impressive performance against Dundee, where he replaced crocked Stephen Kingsley, who has been sidelined for months due to a hamstring injury. However, he would never choose to take advantage of a teammate’s misfortune.

And if the opportunity does indeed present itself he’s determined to take full advantage as the Jambos look to lay down a marker against the Danish Superliga leaders who last season reached the last 16 of the Champions League. Reflecting on his limited Euro experience, Halkett said: “I’ve had no minutes in it whatsoever this season.

“Obviously, Musa has had a difficult time. Given the size of the team at the beginning of the season, I believe it goes without saying. As the season progressed, I believe he was always a young player that we looked to bed in and earn minutes. Regretfully, he struggled to fit in with the European team.

However, I believe he has demonstrated his abilities to the team in the past few weeks. Over the past few weeks of training, he has advanced significantly. He’s not participating on Thursday, which is clearly sad at this stage. However, it provides an opportunity for the other youngsters who might not have played today.

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