Gary Mackay: John Souttar's Scotland omission can be a positive for him and Hearts

John Souttar has all the qualities to become a top player and I think he has even more improvement in him. That shows what kind of level I think he can get to because of those attributes.

John Souttar has been in fine form for Hearts.

He isn’t in the Scotland squad at the moment and one or two people might be a bit surprised by that. I’m disappointed for him that he hasn’t been called up but, in the long term, it could be more advantageous for him and Hearts.

From a purely selfish club point of view, continuing to train and play away at Tynecastle gives him that continuity and stability after such a long time out injured.

When somebody comes back from a long-term absence and hits the ground running, it is easy to forget how serious the injury was an how long they were missing. John has had issues with his Achilles but to his credit he looks in really good condition and he’s playing really consistently in defence.

I’m sure in time Steve Clarke will look at him but, until he is deemed ready for the international squad, I’m perfectly happy seeing him playing 90 minutes in a maroon jersey every week.

He looks really comfortable in a three-man defence and his ability to distribute from there is a massive thing for Hearts. He brings the ball out and strides forward with it and his passing is normally very good so he is a real asset in there.

Might there be a change to that back three against Dundee United on Saturday? Most players peak and then dip throughout the season and I think that’s maybe true of Craig Halkett at the moment.

That’s a decision for the management at Hearts to make. Again, there are people who can come in because we have a strength in depth in the squad which we haven’t had for a long time.

The lad Taylor Moore who is on loan from Bristol City hasn’t done anything wrong when I’ve seen him play. If he is called upon now or in the weeks ahead, I’m sure he would be able to step in without an issue.

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