Lawrence Shankland puts Hearts' Scottish Cup final bid above Euro 2024 dream as he addresses transfer 'noise'

The 28-year-old forward will captain the Jambos in their semi-final showdown with Rangers at Hampden as they strive to end a 12-year wait for silverware.

A positive contribution from Shankland in such a showpiece fixture is likely to bolster his chances of going to the Euros and possibly boost his hopes of being Steve Clarke's first-choice striker in Germany this summer.

However, the forward is adamant his only concern this weekend will be trying to help ensure his team perform better than they did when losing 3-1 to Rangers at the same stage of the League Cup back in November.

“Of course it could maybe help in the bigger picture, but I think the sole focus has to be on trying to win the semi-final," said Shankland. “I think you would probably be silly to have your mindset anywhere else than just trying to win that game and get the opportunity to play in a Scottish Cup final.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to do that and put up a better show than the last time we played at Hampden.”

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Shankland's future has been the source of speculation for most of this season. The free-scoring striker, who remains contracted to Hearts until the summer of 2025, was heavily linked with a move away from Tynecastle in January and a similar narrative is likely to develop as the end of the campaign approaches.

“You obviously see your name getting touted about everywhere, but I don’t think my concentration or my form ever changed in terms of my club football," he said.

“I felt that was the best thing for me to focus my mind on and it worked, and my form continued throughout it. It was more the outside noise and it’s probably nice to stop hearing your name for a bit! It’s just one of those things, and if you are doing well, then that can happen.”

Shankland has hit the net 28 times this term and is bidding to become the first Hearts striker to surpass 30 goals in a season since John Robertson scored 31 way back in 1987/88. He feels he has thrived since being handed the Hearts captaincy after goalkeeper Craig Gordon suffered a serious injury in December 2022.

“It probably helps your development as a player," he said. "No matter what age you are, you can always learn, and I feel like it’s been a big learning curve for me.

“It’s been a responsibility that I need to deal with that I maybe didn’t need to deal with before when I was just a boy in the changing room, so it’s been good. It’s been an opportunity that I’ve enjoyed, and to be honest, I feel like I’ve dealt with it pretty well.

“It’s a good thing to captain Hearts. It’s a big club, and it was a good opportunity for me. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.”

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