Former national boss Gordon Strachan has backed stricken keeper Craig Gordon to reclaim the Scotland No.1 shirt - despite suffering a double leg break a week before turning 40.
The veteran Hearts keeper has already been ruled out for the rest of the season after the horror injury which occurred at Tannadice on Saturday in a clash with Dundee United striker Steven Fletcher. And that has led to conjecture over Gordon’s chances of ever pulling on a pair of gloves again as he prepares for a milestone birthday this weekend.
But Strachan - who played in England’s top flight at the same age - is convinced Gordon will be back in goal again soon. He told Record Sport: “I texted Craig this morning and while I leave that between the two of us, what I would say is, when you look at his career, it’s been full of character building moments. And he’s dealt with them all brilliantly.
“That’s why he’s played on towards 40 because he’s dealt with those problems and his character has helped him to overcome them. He knows how tough these times can be and what is required for him to come back from them.
“He also knows how great a game it is. That’s why he keeps himself in such great shape - to keep playing. So I see no problem with him dealing with this injury and recovering from it. He will do that. It’s then just a matter of how long he wants to go on and that’s up to him to decide.
“But if you look at him over the last year and a half you think, ‘Is this as good as he’s ever been?’. So, in that case, why would he even think about packing it in?
“You only pack in playing football when you’re no longer an influence. That’s when you go, ‘Oops! It’s time for me to call it a day,’.
“But if you ask every Hearts supporter or every player, who has been your most influential or significant player over the last couple of years, they’ll all say the same. It’s him. So you can’t just go from being the best keeper in Scotland one day, to never playing again the next just because of a broken leg.”
And Strachan believes Gordon has already proven to himself that he can recover in full - 12 years after his career was almost prematurely ended by a long running knee injury. He said: “We brought him back into the squad when he didn’t have a club and wasn’t playing with anyone. Can you imagine that? Not having a club and wondering if you still had a career?
“So once you’ve been faced with not having a club but having an injury which might finish you, then it sets you up for being able to deal with things like this latest setback. There will be moments like this when you think, ‘I’ve dealt with this before. It’s not going to be easy with the pain and the boredom but I’ve done it before and I can do it again,’.”
Meanwhile, boss Neilson has insisted Gordon is Hearts’ best ever home grown player. He’s probably the best player that Hearts have ever produced,” Neilson said.
“He’s come through the academy, he’s an international and has played at the highest level, but he’s also a great guy. He’s suffered a real blow but I know what he’s like. He’ll be back stronger and fitter than ever.”
READ NEXT
