Hibs ace talks World Cup homecoming dream, Easter Road enjoyment levels - and 'making every moment count'
Attacking midfielder out of contract at end of season - so what happens next?
Summer plans? Oh, not much. Just a homecoming game that would cause the hardest of hearts to skip a beat. Same old, same old, then …
Junior Hoilett, a man naturally inclined towards smiling in most circumstances, positively beams with joy as he imagines how the rest of this season might pan out. And where, on a personal note, it might end.
The veteran Canadian international, still very much part of former Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch’s plans for this year’s World Cup, grew up in and around Brampton, Ontario. Which is about an eight-dollar journey, by suburban rail and tram, from Toronto’s BMO Field – the venue for his country’s opening fixture in a tournament with the potential to energise the entire nation.
Veteran has played - and scored - at World Cup opener venue
So, yeah, that definitely sets the pulse racing a bit. Even at the age of 35, with 68 caps, 17 goals and 16 assists on his international CV, the attacking midfielder sounds as eager as a schoolboy when discussing the prospect of a golden summer.
“Of course, that's one of my goals,” he said. “To get my name in that final squad to play it the World Cup on home turf would be a dream for me, so that's one of my goals and one of my accomplishments for myself.
“Yeah, the first game at BMO Field in Toronto, it's literally half an hour from my hometown of Brampton. So it would be a dream to be there and have my family in the stands to watch me on home turf in a World Cup fixture.
“I’ve played there loads of times, I played with the national team. But when I was a kid, it wasn’t even there!
“There was no Toronto FC when I was a kid. I think TFC only came to town when I was about 17, 18, and I was already at Blackburn Rovers by that time.
“But yeah, all my family’s back home. My mum, dad, brother, sister.”
World Cup can ‘bring the nation together’
The fact that the local MLS team was only founded in 2005 tells you everything about how delicate the whole ‘soccer’ business remains in a country obsessed by ice hockey, newly besotted by basketball – and entranced by a baseball team who made it to the World Series just a couple of months ago. The beautiful game still has to fight hard for oxygen.
All of that will change when they line up to face a still-to-be-confirmed qualifier on June 12, of course, Hoilett explaining: “It's a massive buzz, not only for the players trying to get in the squad, but for the nation. Everybody's on a high, especially when the group was drawn, to see the potential games we have in our group.
“That's what football does; it brings the nation together and brings a lot of belief into the youngsters as well, to be a chance to watch a World Cup on their backyard. It's a tournament that's going to bring a lot of life to the country and hopefully for the future.”
Asked about his discussions with Marsch, who called Hoilett up for the most recent international window, the former QPR, Cardiff, Reading and Aberdeen star said: “Yeah, of course he's aware of my situation, and he knows what I could bring to the team. Of course, he wants me to get minutes to get sharp, to be available if I am selected.
“At my age you just want to be out there and play. So to have a chance to be out there and showcase my skills at my age is a bonus.”
Hoilett drifted into free agency at the end of his first season with Hibs, then re-signed for the club in time for pre-season training in Holland. At the time, it was always portrayed as the player just taking his time to explore options.
Enjoyment levels high at Easter Road
Speaking about his situation today, and looking ahead to the end of the season, he laughed as he said: “It wasn't really me taking my time. At my age I don't like taking that much time!
“But whatever comes up, I'm loving it here. It's a great family orientated place right now, great group of guys and it's a joy coming in to work with you guys every day.
“To be fair, I haven't really been thinking about that (next season), I've just been focusing on this season and the World Cup. When that time comes, hopefully we can have a conversation.
“When you get to the later stage of your career, you want to make every moment count, and to be out on the pitch, not only to help your peers and the team, it's also to help yourself to get that enjoyment into you. At this moment in time I'm enjoying every minute, even training, going out with the boys and the banter, especially when we're on a good run like this, winning games after games, it's a great feeling. Once you lose that feeling, that's when it's time to hang it up.”