Craig Halkett has expressed his delight at signing a new contract at the club until the summer of 2028 and admits both he and the club are in a good place.
The central defender has been a colossus as the back for the men in maroon this season and having come back in pre-season fitter and stronger than ever, the Scot is now reaping the rewards both on and off the field.
“I'm delighted,” Halkett told Hearts TV.
“It's a great feeling for me and my family. I've been here a long time, and I'm just delighted that I've got another couple of years here now, so I'm buzzing.
“Back when I signed in 2019, it’s been a bit up and down, but the last few years have been tough with injury and stuff like that, but I feel like this year, I've come back and I'm in a good place.
"The team is in a good place. The whole building's feeling good at the moment, so it's a great place to be at the moment.
“I said back in the summer, it was one of my main aims at the start of the season, to come back in great shape and play as many games as I could, to try and earn a new contract. Like I said, the last few years have been tough.
“I hadn't played anywhere near as many games as I wanted to play, so it was important this summer to go away, work hard, come back in the best shape I possibly could and start the season well and, thankfully, I've done that.”
On the pitch, whether it be Stuart Findlay, Frankie Kent, Stephen Kingsley, Michael Steinwender or Jamie McCart, that Halkett has played alongside, it doesn’t seem to matter, and he praised head coach Derek McInnes for ensuring every player is in the right mindset.
“The squad we've got this year has been brilliant. It's obviously a big squad and everyone's fighting and training hard to play every single week and I think that's something the manager has stressed on everyone. You need to be ready to play when you're called upon. We've played a number of different combinations at the back, whether it's been a back three, back five, back four and everyone's come in and done really well.
"It's a good place to be, but I think it's a good thing knowing that you need to turn up Monday to Friday and train really well to make sure you get to play on a Saturday.”
Halkett sits on 159 appearances and is already eyeing up not only the 200 mark, but even bigger maroon milestones.
“I think 200 and even going past that, I think it's got to be the aim. Like I said, getting myself into the position that I've got myself in now. I'm fit, I'm healthy and I don't see why there's any reason that I don't go and make a lot more.”
