Barrie McKay sings Hearts praises of Jambos quartet as trio absence scenario throws up Gorgie opportunity
The former Hearts player has been talking up the side he left last summer.
They’ve put themselves in the driving seat for glory - and Barrie McKay reckons three key Hearts absences only offers up a chance for others to become title race heroes.
The attacker left Tynecastle last summer but has watched on as ex-teammates like Cammy Devlin, Beni Baningime, Lawrence Shankland and Craig Halkett all play key roles for the Premiership leaders. Hearts host current champions Celtic this Sunday and could go nine points clear of the side managed by Martin O’Neill with a big win for Derek McInnes’ team.
Midfielders Devlin and Baningime are already out the game though, one with injury and the other suspension, while Shankland is also a fitness concern. McKay knows missing the influential trio will hurt McInnes but with squad depth to fall back on, he feels there’s a chance for others to come into the spotlight.
Barrie McKay on Hearts injuries
He said: “I think Cammy’s a massive loss. I think the hardest thing with Cammy is you know what you're getting from him, but you can’t change him, and you can’t stop him. He's everywhere on the pitch. I think him and Beni really complement each other. When Beni plays, I think he's very underrated. You see the best of Cammy when Beni plays as well.
“I think Beni just sits in the middle of the pitch. He doesn't move but he covers a lot. That allows Cammy to free roam and go do what Cammy does. I think even on the ball this year, you've seen a lot better from Cammy. I think he's very hard to replace in that sense. I think Lawrence would be a massive miss.
“I think even last season when he wasn't scoring goals, he was still giving performances but the problem is, and he said that himself, the strikers get judged on their goals. He wasn't scoring as much last year. Maybe changing positions a wee bit deeper, he was a bit further away from the goal, but I think when you watch him play just now, he's still doing everything he was doing last year.
“He's dropping deep, he's bringing other people into play, he's that real focal point. The only game that stands out to me was the Aberdeen game, when he never played. I think Braga and Kyziridis, I think they thrive when they play with him, because they know if they pass the ball to him it's going to stick. I think he's that real focal point for those two to flourish, and I think they missed him that day. If these boys are injured, it's a chance for somebody else to step up and kind of stake a claim for what they should be doing as well."
Hearts title race chances assessed
A close friend of his, McKay is made up to see Halkett put injury concerns behind him and become a pillar of the Hearts defence. He said: "I'm buzzing for him. He's one of the boys that I still speak to just now. He's probably one of my best mates there. I'm delighted to see him just playing and playing well. He seems as if he's playing with a smile on his face as well.
“I think the thing that he had was when he was coming back from injury, I think sometimes it's hard to really get back to that full fitness, whereas probably just over time and over the summer, he just gave himself the best chance of being in the best position to really give himself a go. I think it was one of those ones, if he did end up leaving anyway, he would still be in the best position to go elsewhere and play if they went down a different route. He's definitely been a mainstay and a real big player in how they've been this year.”
When it comes to the title race, sitting six points ahead of Celtic and Rangers ahead of the weekend, McKay thinks the Jambos have put themselves in pole position to claim a historic title. He added: "It's one that I've probably not seen over the last few years, to be honest. Especially not between three teams. Hearts are definitely in the driving seat, I think. Every time they've had a question asked of them, they've performed and they deserve to be where they are.
The results that they've had, it's not as if they're just beating everyone else. They've gone and beaten both Old Firm teams, holding our way and taking us out together. There's a real confidence there as well that they can do something. I think when you look at the team that has been playing this year, it's what's already been there before. It's not massive changes. They've obviously got a manager there who's instilled confidence in them. A lot of confidence comes from winning games as well. Because they're doing that, the fans are then backing them. I think their record this season speaks for itself. I think they've got really good players all over the pitch that really complement each other."
Charlie Adam, Paul Hartley and Barrie McKay were appearing on The Warm-Up, the William Hill SPFL’s weekly preview show. Check out the full episode here.