It's a case of what might have been for Hearts veteran Steven Naismith

Steven Naismith’s acknowledgement that he has given up on his Euro 2020 dream was enough to stop anyone in their tracks.

Hearts forward Steven Naismith has admitted his Scotland dream is all over.

Like so many of his Scotland peers, he’s simply run out of time, but the drop-off between his last international appearance, when he scored in a 3-1 win in November 2019, to now contemplating retirement from football full stop does seem particularly rapid. He came agonisingly close to featuring in a major finals.

From Scotland mainstay, he’s now simply looking forward to watching the games on TV, “as a fan” he admitted in a recent interview in the Evening News.

He’s now 34 and has enjoyed a wonderful career, including being inducted in the Scottish Football Assocations’s Roll of Honour after reaching the 50-cap mark. It is worth reflecting that had Euro 2020 been staged when originally scheduled last summer, the Hearts forward stood every chance of being involved.

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