Charlie Adam believes Ryan Porteous has already displayed real signs of maturity after leaving the Edinburgh goldfish bowl.
The Watford defender excelled for Steve Clarke's Scotland side over the international break and landed caps two and three in the double-header with Cyprus and Spain. His performance under the lights at Hampden in Tuesday's memorable win was a real highlight and former Rangers and Liverpool star Adam believes he's raised his levels since moving south of the border.
The English Championship side completed a deal to land the former Easter Road favourite after he decided he would not be penning an extended deal. Rather than lose him for nothing in the summer, the capital club cashed in and he's already displaying that real 'potential' everybody thought he had according to the former national team midfielder.
READ MORE: Ex-Hibs man Jackson Irvine on target for Australia as Hearts' Kye Rowles starts vs Ecuador
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
He said: “We forced Spain to put crosses into the box, but that played into the hands of Porteous and Grant Hanley.
“We all had an opinion on how Porteous was when he played at Hibs.
“But he looks a more mature player at Watford now, having come out of that goldfish bowl in Edinburgh. He has really stepped up to the potential we thought he had — and on the mental side he is in a different place. It was great to see.”
Reacting to the stunning win over Spain at Hampden, Adam added: “As a nation it was a result we needed. Over the last period we have done well under Steve Clarke, but we needed a big result somewhere.
“We did OK in the Euros, but this is a result that gives you momentum going into the summer.
“There’s a long way to go in the group, but six points and sitting top creates a real feel-good factor for the team.
“Everybody now wants to be part of this journey and to be successful with Scotland.”
READ NEXT:
- Celtic 3 Hibs 1 as Hibees leave Glasgow with nothing after battling display - 3 things we learned
- Hearts and Hibs pre-split fixtures in full as battle for third spot and Europe heats up
- Hibs vs Hearts kick-off change with Edinburgh Derby now available on PPV after switch
- Ellis Simms bags first Everton goal as ex-Hearts loanee bills Chelsea strike 'moment of my career'
- Aberdeen 3 Hearts 0 as Jambos crash to big defeat with third place at risk - 3 things we learned
