Lawrence Shankland has admitted he came close to leaving Hearts last summer but insists he would now be kicking himself had he moved on. The Scotland striker was out of contract at the end of last season and, with lucrative offers from the English Championship, looked set to make a fresh start elsewhere.
However, when Derek McInnes took charge, things began to change. The new manager played a key role in convincing Shankland to sign a new contract. Now, as club captain, Shankland has a brilliant opportunity to make history and lead Hearts to the league title — something he feels money could not buy.
Named on the four-man shortlist for PFA Scotland Player of the Year, an award he won in 2024, Shankland was asked how close he came to leaving Tynecastle last summer. 'Yeah, possibly,' he said. 'There were a couple of options at hand, but it was more family stuff. I would have been moving for other reasons. There's more to life than finance at times. You need to do what's right for your family. That was why I decided to stay.'
Shankland added that the manager's desire to keep him was crucial. 'The manager wanted me to stay. I wasn't too sure on leaving Hearts the way I'd finished that season as well. I felt like from a selfish point of view, I deserved better than if I'd left on those terms. I wanted to correct that. I was confident I could, so that was why I was happy.'
Reflecting on what might have been, he said: 'What if I had left? When you think about it like that, if Hearts were to replicate the same season, you'd be kicking yourself. Of course you would. There's no denying that. But I'm here. I've played a part in this and hopefully we can go and finish it strong.'
Shankland also spoke about his relationship with McInnes, having previously worked with him at Aberdeen. 'When I signed, the manager just came in the door and I had the experience of being at Aberdeen with him when I was younger. It's slightly different now. I'm further down the line and, obviously, I'm more established in my career. But I kind of knew what I was going to get out of him. Good man-manager, gets boys in a good headspace and he kind of builds a solid team. I think teams can reflect their manager quite a lot in terms of personality. And I feel that we've done that this year. The biggest thing is he just gave us confidence to go and use our ability as players to try and win games. We've managed to do that.'
Having come from behind to claim a priceless 2-1 win away against rivals Hibs on Sunday, Hearts took another huge step towards the title. They are now three points ahead of Celtic and four points ahead of Rangers with only four matches left to play.
Shankland admits he is now daring to dream and feels a lack of title-winning experience in the Hearts squad can be overcome by a hunger to get over the line. 'If we're talking experience, you're right in saying that. I don't think there's anybody in our team, not at this level, has won a league title. Some guys won them down the leagues. But, in the top division, obviously experience isn't on our side. But what we have got is obviously a desire and a hunger. And there's a freshness there that everyone's quite new to everybody. So that brings excitement. We know if we keep doing our business and keep winning games, there's only one place where we'll end up. And that's what we want to do.'
He added: 'Aye, definitely [daring to dream]. I think when you get to this stage, you need to. It's so close. It is doable for us, obviously, we're in a good position. We've worked so hard to put ourselves in this position. It's just important we continue to do the things that have brought us success to keep us there.'
Hearts will face Rangers at Tynecastle next Monday knowing that a victory would move them seven points clear of the Ibrox side with only three games remaining. Asked about the chance to kill Rangers off in the title race, Shankland said: 'Aye, it would make it really difficult for them if we were to beat them. It becomes a pretty big mountain to climb with three games left. There's no denying that. You could see it in that way. But, for us, it's just about going and winning all games. And I think we just see it as an opportunity to keep ourselves at the top of the league as long as we keep winning.'
