Former Hearts star Aaron Hickey is set for a return to Tynecastle after he was called up to the Scotland Under 21 squad for the first time.
The 18-year-old is in Scot Gemmill’s 22-man pool to take Croatia and Greece next month, as are Hibs duo Ryan Porteous and Kyle Magennis.
And it will be a swift return to his former home ground when the Scots face their Balkan opponents in Gorgie on 12 November.
Hickey has been handed his chance after is summer move to Bologna and being thrust into Sinisa Mhajlovic’s starting Serie A line up this season.
The teenager has made four appearances so far for I Rossoblu this term, but they haven’t won since their opening day 4-1 victory over Parma.
Hickey’s extended absence from both the Scotland Under 21 and Under 19 was curious, although the reason given was the left back needed a rest after playing a lot of football for Hearts over the previous year.
The longer that went on, the more people wondered why the talented youngster was considered fit enough and good enough for top flight football but not youth internationals.
But now Hickey will get his chance to pull on the dark blue on his old stomping ground before flying out to Greece days later.
Full squad: Ross Doohan (Ross County). Brian Kinnear (Rangers), Robby McCrorie (Livingston), Harrison Ashby (West Ham), Daniel Harvie (Ayr United), Aaron Hickey (Bologna), George Johnston (Feyenoord), Lewis Mayo (Dunfermline), Tom McIntyre (Reading), Nathan Patterson (Rangers), Ryan Porteous (Hibs), Patrick Reading (Ayr United), Allan Campbell (Motherwell), Kai Kennedy (Inverness CT), Kyle Magennis (Hibs), Barry Maguire (Motherwell), Ross McCrorie (Aberdeen), David Turnbull (Celtic), Fraser Hornby (Stade De Reims), Glenn Middleton (Rangers).
