Everton were linked with a move for Aaron Hickey on Saturday and may have to battle Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Everton, Southampton and Celtic to bring him to Goodison Park. But who is the 17-year-old? And why are so many clubs chasing his signature?
Hickey is a left-back whose professional career started at Hearts. He left to join Celtic in 2017 but returned to Hearts in 2018 and has gone on to make 34 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and making one assist.
The 17-year-old broke into the first-team last season, making four appearances under Craig Levein – his senior debut came in Hearts’ 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen on May 10, 2019.
Hickey’s first start came in the Jam Tarts’ 2-1 defeat to Celtic on May 19. He even played a full 90 minutes in their Scottish Cup Final defeat to Celtic on May 26 and also represented Scotland at U17 level three times last year before now earning his promotion to the U19 squad.
The left-back has come on leaps and bounds this season, making 30 appearances in all competitions before the Covid-19 pandemic halted the campaign. He became a club hero after scoring in September’s Edinburgh Derby win over Hibernian too.
Last season, Benjamin Garuccio and Demetri Mitchell were ahead of Hickey in the pecking order, making 17 and 20 league appearances respectively, as per Transfermarkt, but the teenager is now Stendel’s first-choice.
Garuccio has spent the majority of this season sidelined with injury while Aidy White’s had to make do with sporadic playing time. Despite being a regular, Hickey may have an uncertain future at Tynecastle Park as his contract is up in 2021.
Hickey’s performances have attracted a lot of interest and Hearts have been battling to tie him down to a new deal since September 2019. If they can’t make any progress, Hearts may have to cash in this summer rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next year.