Craig Halkett is better than Ryan Porteous and his Hearts contract should lead to Scotland call-up – Ryan Stevenson

Craig Halkett thankfully won’t be following his defensive partner John Souttar out the door at Tynecastle any time soon.

But I’m certain now he’s committed to Hearts for another two-and-a-half years he’ll be hitching a ride with big Soapy on another of his journeys.

Right into the Scotland squad.

It’s actually incredible he’s not already in there.

News of Halkett’s new deal is brilliant for Hearts fans who are coming to terms with the fact Souttar looks certain to be off.

But it’s also superb for the player as he’s found a home in Gorgie that has taken his game onto another level.

It’s a major bit of business and a call into Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad would be fully justified off the back of his performances this season.

Put it this way, he’s better than some defenders who are regularly in that squad and I’m not just trying to pick a fight with the other side of the city when I say he’s a much better defender than Ryan Porteous.

Halkett goes about his business quietly whereas Porteous is very much in your face and has caused a fair bit of drama this year.

You don’t get that with Halkett but you certainly get passion, power and a fantastic footballer.

He has been a top performer week in and week out for seasons now.

Everyone inside Hearts realises how important he is to the team but outside that he maybe doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Every good side has unsung heroes and it’s not until they leave that you actually realise just how big and important they are.

Darren Fletcher was like that at Manchester United and in my own time at Tynecastle we had guys like Danny Grainger and Andy Webster who were the same.

Big players who you just expected to play well every week but it wasn’t until they were missing