Aaron Hickey (R) is the youngest player to feature in a Scottish Cup final (Getty Images)
According to the Daily Mail, Southampton are among a host of clubs interested in signing Hearts starlet Aaron Hickey this summer.
Aaron Hickey, 17, burst onto the scene at Hearts last season, making his professional debut at the age of 16 in May 2019 and soon started in the Scottish Cup final, a 2-1 defeat to Celtic. The teenager, who is out of contract in June 2021, has been one of the rare bright sparks this season, with Hearts at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership table.
The report adds Everton, Manchester City and Celtic all want the left-back but Crystal Palace are currently in pole position.
Meanwhile, Southampton have endured a poor campaign and have slipped to 14th place in the table after managing only one win in the last five games. However, things were worse in the first half of the campaign when the Saints received a 9-0 mauling at the hands of Leicester City. Comparatively, they are in a better position right now.
One of the chief reasons for their slow start to the campaign was the imbalance in their defensive unit. Southampton have conceded 52 goals in the league so far and this is definitely not a good sign for a club in the English top-flight. None of Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek or Jannik Vestergaard have been consistent for the Saints, while the full-backs have misfired.
To that end, bringing in defensive reinforcements during the summer transfer window should be a top priority for the Saints, who have virtually shipped goals for fun in the Premier League so far. While a new centre-back has to be at the top of the club’s agenda, left-back is another department where Southampton will undoubtedly need to make some changes moving forward.
Ryan Bertrand is the club’s undisputed first-choice left-back but he will turn 31 in August. Ralph Hasenhuttl has had no other option to play as a backup for Bertrand this season, with the Austrian tactician forced to use Kevin Danso to fill in when required. Thus, the Saints signing Aaron Hickey certainly seems to make a lot of sense for a number of reasons.
Southampton need long-term stability at left-back and Hickey ticks that box. He comes as a player in the right age bracket who perfectly fits the Saints’ transfer model of bringing in young and talented players under Hasenhuttl, and the Hearts starlet still has plenty of time to make adjustments to his game to match the demands of playing in the highly-competitive atmosphere of the Premier League.
In Hickey, the Saints would have a natural left-back to provide back-up for Bertrand and push him on. Hickey is only 17 and could benefit from being on the bench for a season at St. Mary’s and learning from the experienced Bertrand. If he can do that, then the Hearts left-back could be the ideal long-term replacement for the Southampton star.
All in all, the talented Hickey would be a good addition and sort out Southampton’s left-back issues for a good part of the next decade.
