Hearts manager Robbie Nelson has warned Aston Villa off a January move for impressive young defender John Souttar.
In the last week or so, Villa have been linked with a January move for the defender but Nelson has poured cold water over the claims.
Speaking to the Daily Record (h/t Birmingham Mail), Nelson believes Souttar should stay put at Hearts for the next few years and develop as a defender.
“We see his future at Hearts. John understands he still has another couple of years to do here, to mature, get more physical and learn as a defender.
“You can see the progression he’s made since coming to Hearts but, even with that, he can still move up a few steps before he is ready to move down south.”
He went on to explain he has no interest in selling the player when the January transfer window opens.
“It would be jumping the gun to talk about him leaving now. We have no interest in selling him and he has no interest in leaving. He has a great opportunity here, he is playing week in, week out for one of the top teams in Scotland. The next step for John is to try to get into the national team and play at a consistent level through an entire season at club level.
“Whenever my players go, whether for a fee or compensation, we want them to be first-team players. I don’t want them to leave Hearts to be Under-21 players in England or get loaned out.”
Souttar only joined Hearts back in January from Dundee United and has a promising future ahead of him in the game.
