Manchester City are reportedly targeting Hearts’ Aaron Hickey (The Scottish Sun). It highlights how far he has progressed over the last few months.
Hickey made his Jambos debut during the final game of last season. He was brilliant against Celtic and earned himself a Scottish Cup final starting berth in the process.
Hickey is in demand reportedly. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
He has continued that impressive form this season and has now been linked with a £1.5 million move to Pep Guardiola’s side.
It goes to show how quickly he has risen from youth prodigy to first-team star.
Hickey shouldn’t be sold to Manchester City
Way back at the start of May, most football fans wouldn’t have had a clue who the young full-back was. Fast forward a few months though and now he is the Jambos’ most promising youngster.
Hickey has emerged from youth team to first-team star very quickly. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
At left-back, Hickey has maturity beyond his years. Bursting runs up the touchline and a confident defender, the 17-year-old has hardly put a foot wrong since moving to the senior side.
Interest from one of the world’s best teams will be a feather in his cap. At the price that is being reported though, Hearts shouldn’t even think about selling.
Hickey has the potential to become their most valuable asset. Playing first-team football at a big club like Hearts will also be of more benefit to him than playing in City’s academy.
He should stay and play senior football. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
£1.5 million is a lot of money, but it isn’t enough for Hickey. Kilmarnock reportedly set the bar as high as £3 million for their left-back Greg Taylor (Daily Record).
Whilst Taylor is a more complete player than Hickey right now, it showed teams that Killie weren’t prepared to part with one of their key stars on the cheap. Hearts should adopt the same approach.
It’s a big compliment for Hickey that the likes of City reportedly want him. He’ll continue to make strides at Hearts though as his development continues to accelerate.