Motherwell's Chris Cadden '˜flattered' by Hearts interest

Chris Cadden has impressed since breaking through at Motherwell. Picture: SNS/Craig Foy

The 21-year-old admitted he was flattered by the interest, with clubs north and south of the border keeping an eye on the player.

While the club sold Ben Heneghan to Sheffield United and rebuked offers for Louis Moult, they also managed to old on to one of their key assets who came through the club’s youth system.

Cadden, who is contracted until May 2019, had played 84 times for the Steelmen in a variety of positions, offering dynamism from midfield or out wide. These qualities helped attract bids from both Hearts and Oxford United.

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He told BBC Sportsound: “The gaffer (Stephen Robinson) was brilliant with me. He said at the start of the transfer window...that if anyone made a bid for me he’d tell me and be straight with me so the gaffer pulled me in and told me that Hearts had made a bid.

“I didn’t let it effect me. You can’t let it effect you because you just got to keep doing what you’re doing. I enjoyed it, I was enjoying the bit of publicity, people putting money where their mouth was. I was flattered with it.

“I’ve just been told to keep doing what I’m doing until I am told otherwise and I’m in no rush to leave Motherwell. It’s my hometown and I am loving it. We’ve had a great start to the season, a semi-final on Sunday to look forward to.”

Cadden will line-up against Rangers at Hampden Park having played 15 times this season, impressing in a wing-back position, while also becoming a Scotland Under-21 regular, playing their last three games.

Motherwell legend James McFadden, who Cadden played alongside and was coached by, advised the player to be patient and wait for a bigger move than Hearts or Oxford.

McFadden, who plays for Queen of the South after a spell as Motherwell’s assistant manager, told Sportsound: “He’s so level-headed, he wants to establish himself as well as he can up here and ultimately get the move to the highest level in England. But he’s not in a rush and that’s what I like.

“It’s unusual for a young player to come in and be so consistent and that’s what he has done since he has come in.

“His head’s screwed on, he know what he wants. He’ll stay at Motherwell as long as he feels that he’s challenged there.

He added: “He’ll wait for a good move, he won’t just jump in. For me he needs to go to a higher level than that, he knows it and he is willing to wait for it.”