Exclusive: Robbie Neilson considering change to get the best out of Gary Mackay-Steven

Hearts boss Robbie Neilson is considering a change of position for Gary Mackay-Steven as he seeks to get the most out of the experienced winger down the stretch this season.

The winger’s signing was met with widespread acclaim from the club’s support when he joined on a two-and-a-half-year deal in January 2021, but even though he’s had his moments, scoring eight times in 47 games, he’s yet to consistently excel in a maroon shirt.

During the Scottish Cup win over Livingston on Saturday, where Neilson’s side advanced on penalties after a 0-0 draw, Mackay-Steven was brought on to play left wing-back for the final 30 minutes and extra-time. The 31-year-old impressed in the role, charging down the flank and putting a few dangerous crosses into the area.

It’s a position he hasn’t played for Hearts before but does have some experience of doing so from his time at Aberdeen.

Gary Mackay-Steven joined Hearts from New York City in January last year. Picture: SNS

And with neither Alex Cochrane or Andy Halliday able to nail down a spot in the starting XI, Neilson is considering turning to the ex-Dundee United and Celtic ace for a run in the deeper role.

"I like him there,” the head coach told the Evening News. “It's one of those positions where we're wondering, 'do we go defender or a wide player?' We felt against Livingston that Cochrane and Halliday could rotate a wee bit.

“It's definitely something to think about for the upcoming weeks. He gives us that energy and he's a bit different from the other boys in that position.”

Neilson will be granted extra time to experiment on the training field this week as, for the first time since returning from the winter break, Hearts won’t have a midweek fixture before they travel to St Johnstone on Saturday. He’s particularly looking forward to tightening up the rearguard.

“It’ll be massively beneficial for us,” he said. “We've spoken about it as a staff. The last two to three weeks we've not had time to work on the defensive aspect of things.

“We've had Ellis Simms coming in, Toby Sibbick coming in, Nathaniel Atkinson coming in, and we're only really getting game, recovery, preparation, game. While we do the video, we've not really had a chance to do it out on the pitch. That reflects at times when we're a wee bit open.”

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