Craig Halkett has certainly been on the unlucky side when it comes to injuries.
The Heart of Midlothian defender made his return as an unused substitute in last week’s defeat to Celtic. It was the latest recovery in a long list of issues.
Aside from two serious injuries, there have been knee problems and hamstring strains – the latest of which ruled him out since the end of January.
That was early into the 3-2 home win over Kilmarnock. Halkett felt "a wee twinge” after “changing direction awkwardly” and was replaced shortly after by Lewis Neilson.
Care has been taken to bring the centre-back to full fitness given his recent history.
With so many niggles and setbacks, you would understand if some players doubted themselves. Not Halkett, who was able to take inspiration, and advice, from a former team-mate.
“I've spoken to a lot of players that have been in similar positions. If you look back three or four years, John Souttar was here in my position,” he said.
“His was probably a lot worse, to be honest, with the extent of injuries that he got. They were real bad ones.
“So looking up to him, being quite close to him and seeing what he came back from, it was really helpful, to be honest.
“You see that it's a part of football. Some people are really lucky. You can go through the whole career without picking up anything.
“And then other people are a wee bit unlucky. I see myself on the kind of unlucky side. I don't think it's anything that I've done away from football.
“I live the way I think I should. I try to be a good professional on and off the park. So I think it's more just unlucky.
“I never ever thought about just chucking it. I always just wanted to get back.
“The times that I've got injured, I’ve been quite lucky. There's always been something to come back and fight for and play for.”
On Souttar, he added: “He was someone who I got on with really well when I came here.
“He's a great player and someone I looked up to even though I'm similar age as him. It was what he'd done throughout the game. I respected him massively as a player.
“I just got on with him really well when he was here. Even since he's left, we've kept in touch, we speak most weeks. He's gone on to do good things at Rangers.
“He's just a good friend. Like I said, with the position I've been in with injuries, where he's been, it's good to have someone like that you can talk to.”
Halkett picked up a cruciate ligament injury in December 2022 that ruled him out for almost a year. That came against Sunday’s opponents.
While he isn’t triggered by the sight of the Dundee United players, Halkett said January’s visit to Tannadice, the venue where he picked up the injury, was a strange one.
Although this time he had a current team-mate he could confide in. Craig Gordon sustained a double-leg break that same afternoon.
“For me and Craig, I think it was both our first times playing there since we got back from injury,” said Halkett. “As much as we tried not to, there were a couple of wee conversations we had, just remembering back to the horrible day it was.
“Thankfully we both got through it injury-free and won the game with a clean sheet. That's all put behind us now.”
At 29-year-old, Halkett has a number of years of football in him yet. The next, at the least, is set to be at Tynecastle Park, with the centre-back’s contract due to expire in the summer of 2026.
Hearts now face two Scottish Premiership matches that will determine in which half they will finish. After that it is the Scottish Cup semi-final and Halkett is “in the best shape I think I've been in in a long time”.
“This injury has just all been focused on getting back as quick as I can without rushing anything,” he added.
“I've been there before, rushed to get back to playing certain games. Unluckily for me, it's not worked for me. I knew I had to take my time with this injury, work harder.
“I'm only 29, but I'm getting older now. I maybe can't do the same things that I could do six or seven years ago when I was 21 or 22.
“That's just wee habits that you pick up from more experienced pros. Pros that you look up to. You just ask for wee hints and tips.
“Just things that maybe they've done in their career which they've found work for them. I don't think it's the same for everyone. It's just you go through different things and you find out what works for you.”
In Halkett’s absence, and with Jamie McCart missing recently also, Neilson has stepped in. The versatile defender started the season on loan at St Johnstone and a series of injuries has seen him get minutes at Tynecastle since his recall.
The last couple of months has also seen Michael Steinwender step into a more senior role in youthful defence. And rushed into the starting XI ahead of schedule in the first place.
Halkett has been impressed with both and knows he has a fight to regain his place – especially with Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley also close to a return to action.
“They've been good, both good players,” said Halkett of Neilson and Steinwender. “Lewis has obviously been here for a while, he's played a good number of games now. But he's been good, it's been hard for him at times. He's been chucked in a few times and I think he's done well. The weekend [against Celtic] was obviously a hard game for everyone.
“But I think he's handled himself brilliantly, he's obviously still really young.
“And Michael, he's done really well. Especially from where he came from, his season had stopped, so he was coming in at the start of his pre-season.
“To get up to speed as quick as he has done, he's settled in well. He's a great guy, he gets on with all the boys really well. I've been impressed, he's been good.
“As a player, competition is what you want. I don't think I could think of anything worse than if you just came into your training every day and it didn't really matter how you trained or how you played. You were just going to play at the weekend.
“It's good coming in, knowing that there's two or three or four boys fighting for the one position. You need to be at it every day. That brings everyone's standards up, everyone trains better. The competition is good for the squad.”
