Teenage midfielder was part of the squad against Fleetwood Town
Steven Naismith today acclaimed the progress made by teenage Hearts prodigy Alfie Osborne, who was on the bench for Saturday’s friendly defeat at Fleetwood Town. The 16-year-old is one of 10 players graduating from the Riccarton youth academy to sign a professional contract with the Edinburgh club.
Osborne travelled south with the first team for their final pre-season fixture at Highbury Stadium. Head coach Naismith named him among the substitutes in the latest step of the youngster’s development – learning how the senior team operate before and during matchdays. At 6ft 4ins tall, Osborne is able to play as a holding midfielder or a centre-back and holds his own among Hearts’ senior professionals.
“He’s 16-year-old, can play centre-half or centre-mid,” explained. “As you can see, the size of his presence, he’s got good feet for somebody so big and young. He’s got a great attitude but I must say a lot of the boys who have come in full-time this year have got that attitude – a drive and a determination which is a good sign for us.
“He’s a young kid. He’s trained with the first-team a few times. There are quite a few young players that probably could have had the opportunity but I think a bit of circumstance [stopped it]. He’s done well when he’s been around the first-team.”
Macaulay Tait, James Wilson and Finlay Pollock played for the Hearts B team on Friday night rather than travel to Fleetwood. Liam Fox’s second string opened their Lowland League campaign with a 4-1 home win over East Stirlingshire.
“I thought for the three boys who played with the B team on Friday night, it was more important they played as many minutes as they did,” said Naismith. “Then you have [Callum] Sandilands who has been really good for the last six months. You have got another couple who have been doing well, like Bobby [McLuckie], but again it is really important they play minutes rather than going down to Fleetwood.
“They have experienced being around the first-team, being to games and understanding what it is about. I think it was a balance there, but it gives Alfie an opportunity to see what he can be involved in if he keep progressing.”
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