Aaron Hickey is relishing the prospect of making his long-awaited Scotland return in the upcoming World Cup qualification double-header after being sidelined for more than a year and a half.
The 23-year-old Brentford wing-back’s career progress was badly disrupted by a recurring hamstring problem that meant he did not play a single competitive match for club or country between November 2023 and last month.
After two Premier League sub appearances and an hour-long outing in last Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth, Hickey is delighted to be back in the Scotland camp preparing for the possibility of his first appearance for his country in 23 months against either Denmark on Friday or Belarus on Monday.
Gearing up for a big few days.
Go Over The Wall at Lesser Hampden, as preparations continue for the start of our WCQs.#DENSCO pic.twitter.com/1KhhVN24no
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 3, 2025
“I’m delighted to be back here,” said the former Hearts and Bologna player. “I’ve not played too many minutes but I’ve had a good pre-season.
“I’ve played in a couple of friendlies and got my fitness back up and came off the bench a few times. I feel fit in myself but I’ve not played too many minutes.
“I think once you’ve been out for a long period of time it’s all about managing the minutes. Whether I play or not, I’m just happy to be here but if the gaffer chooses me to play I’ll give my best shot and try and play as long as I can.”
Having endured such a mentally-testing period, including watching from afar as his Scotland team-mates went to Euro 2024 in Germany without him, Hickey is intent on savouring every moment.
“I was close to coming back and then I would feel it again and have to go through the full process again, so that was probably the most difficult part of the injury,” he said.
“And obviously missing out on the Euros was a big one for me which was hard to take. It was difficult but of course you’ve got to watch it. It was gutting not to be there but I’m thankful I’m back now.
“Having to make up for lost time is a difficult thing for your head, to think you’ve been out for a long period and you’ve got to make up for this time, so I think for me I’m just taking it day by day and I’m thankful to be here.
“I think mentally I feel a bit stronger and just see a different path. I think you need to make sure you don’t take it for granted to be out there every day playing with your friends and team-mates. It’s a short career and you just need to enjoy it.”
Hickey, who accumulated 14 caps before his injury lay-off, was delighted to get the call last month from Steve Clarke to inform him he was back in the fold.
“He just congratulated me for being back and asked how I’m feeling and I just told him I feel fit and I want to play,” he explained.
“He checked up on me a lot when I was injured so it was good to speak to him and a few other staff that kept in contact with me. It gave me a little boost to get back and I didn’t feel too far away.”
