Craig Halkett reveals Hearts injury return timeline as as he targets Scotland second chance after ACL nightmare

Craig Halkett admits he is eyeing a comeback from his serious knee injury at the beginning of November.

The Hearts defender ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in an ill-fated Christmas Eve clash at Dundee United. Goalkeeper Craig Gordon also suffered a double leg break in the same game. But Halkett is making good progress as he steps up his recovery and if everything goes to plan he’d love to be contention for first-team action in about six weeks’ time.

Halkett said: “It’s going well. I’ve been back outside for a good while and upping my fitness work. Recently I’ve started getting a feel for the ball again so that’s the next progression I’m on to, passing the ball and getting comfortable being on the ball again. We’ve not set a specific date or game. The nine-month mark, from the day you had the operation, if you get back by then you’re doing well.

“That would take us into the end of October. So hopefully there or thereabouts, then a couple of weeks bedding myself back in and getting minutes under my belt, before being ready to start games at the beginning of November.”

Halkett’s had Scotland star Gordon for company during their respective rehab programmes. And Liam Boyce and Beni Baningime also offered advice as they fought their own way back from ACL injuries. Halkett said: “Craigy and I have been in the gym a lot together.

“We have probably progressed on similar timescales. We have both been back outside doing wee bits with the physio and Craig has obviously started doing wee things with the goalies.

“At the start of my rehab, I had Boycie and Beni in there too, I was able to lean on them quite a lot for the first three or four months of my rehab. They were coming to the end of their spells out, so I was able to