Why Hearts star Craig Halkett fully deserves his Scotland call-up - one of the country's move improved players

When you look around the Scottish Premiership this season, there are a number of candidates for most improved players.

Malky Mackay has transformed the Regan Charles-Cook from a versatile squad player into the league’s top goal scorer at Ross County. Zander Clark may be the difference between St Johnstone staying in the top-flight and relegation. Football analysis platform Wyscout have a ‘prevented goals’ metric for goalkeepers. Last season Clark’s was -6.78, no goalkeeper recorded a worse score. This campaign it is 8.97, better than the rest of his peers.

Other candidates could include Celtic's Anthony Ralston, Ian Harkes of Dundee United, Hibs’ Chris Cadden and Jack Fitzwater, the Livingston centre-back linked with Premier League sides.

Then there is Craig Halkett.

The Hearts centre-back has been a colossus at the back for Robbie Neilson’s men as they ease to a third-place spot and with a Scottish Cup semi-final against rivals Hibs on the horizon.

When Steve Clarke announced his squad last week for the upcoming friendly double header there was a tinge of disappointment in Gorgie with none of Halkett, Stephen Kingsley or Barrie McKay included. But it now appears, due to injuries elsewhere, the former has been rewarded for his form.

In Saturday's win over former side Livingston, his quality was clear, as was the way he has evolved at Tynecastle, strolling through the match.

Without John Souttar, Halkett was positioned on the right-side of what was a back-three, back-four hybrid, depending on the situation.

Most impressive was the way he stepped out of defence and his use of the ball. There were a couple of Souttar-esque cross field passes, while there was another where he darted away from a couple of Livingston’s players