Aidan Denholm is targeting a debut appearance for Scotland Under-21s as Scot Gemmill’s side gear up for two crucial European Championship qualifiers over the next few days – but the Heart of Midlothian midfielder won’t be taking anything for granted.
The 19-year-old was told he could find a new club towards the end of last season before he was convinced to stay by Steven Naismith. He has since been promoted to the first team, made his senior debut and played in the Europa Conference League, as well as signing a three-year extension at Tynecastle Park.
A debut appearance for the Under-21s is the next milestone for the promising youngster, who admits his route to the top has been more circuitous than most. But Denholm wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s brilliant and a dream come true,” Denholm said of his call-up. “Obviously, I want to get my first cap but to be selected for the squad is amazing. Obviously, we are doing quite well in the group and it's going to be a challenging two games. But with the squad we have I believe we can go and win them.
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“My family are buzzing for me too. It’s hard to even take it in. To go from last summer to now has been a bit of a shock! It's been brilliant and I have loved it. I’ve not had an easy route, especially as I was part-time in the beginning when everyone else was signing three-year deals. It wasn’t the nicest. But I think it's made me who I am today.
“Even when things are going well I like to say I am pretty humble. You can't get too carried away. I’ve seen boys who can change like just like that. So I try and stay grounded, which my family are good at. But also, enjoying it as well because I’ve not had the easiest ride.
“A few boys messaged me when they went part-time and they were asking how I enjoyed it, and I told them they just had to try and impress the manager that they have got. I stayed at school, which wasn’t easy, and it is hard for the boys out there but it isn’t impossible.
“You have to have a coach who believes in you and luckily enough I had a few of them. The young boys at Hearts see that I have had a few games and it maybe gives them some motivation to look at me and see what happens when you have a coach that trusts you.”
Denholm certainly has just that at Hearts. Naismith has had no problem throwing the precocious midfielder into big games where a lot is on the line – and were it not for the former Scotland internationalist’s intervention, Denholm might not even be at his boyhood club today.
“I owe him everything,” Denholm said. “He's been brilliant. He's been a breath of fresh air. I worked with him in the B team and I loved the style he had us playing. I have always got on with him very well.
“Even off the pitch, he knew straightaway if something was up or whatever. When I got told I had to go, he was the first one to talk to me and was straight on the phone. I got a trial at Wigan and then when I was coming back up the road with my dad, he called me to say he had got the job and didn’t want to let me go. He’s been the biggest influence on me.
“Steven explains it all so well. When he speaks to you, you listen. He is good for me and he has a long-term plan for me which requires me to be really patient. He knows that when a chance comes I will be ready if he puts me in.
“I played at Hampden and that was a great experience. I really enjoyed that and it was great that he showed faith in me to play me in a semi-final. That wouldn’t have been possible a year ago. I wouldn’t have managed it. Even seeing my family there as I came on at Hampden in a semi-final was brilliant.”
Naismith isn’t the only person in Gorgie handing out pointers to Denholm and offering advice to help his game develop. In Cammy Devlin and Beni Baningime, the 19-year-old has two experienced professionals who are always happy to share some insight. The level of competition for places in midfield has sometimes limited the first-team opportunities available to him but rather than being disheartened, Denholm is motivated to raise his own game.
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“I look at Beni a lot in training but I also see similarities in my game and Cammy Devlin’s game,” Denholm explained. “I played with Cammy in Rosenborg and I think that was probably the most energetic midfield two I’ve seen. Beni and Cammy have been the best I’ve looked at, in similar positions. The way Cammy plays is similar to me.
“Cammy has been the best with me individually. He has taken me aside and he has sat down with my family. He has been really close to me and we have played golf a few times but even when we’re doing that we’re still talking about football.
“He is trying to teach me things I maybe wouldn’t have picked up on and he is older, so he has a lot more experience. He says he has had a similar path as me in football and it’s not been easy so as soon as he heard my story, he was straight into it and he’s been great.
“I have been a Hearts fan throughout my years and this is probably the best squad I have ever seen. The quality is unbelievable sometimes. When we have a fully fit squad, it is right up there. But that’s when everyone is fit. At the start everybody wasn't, which was a chance for me to impress. Luckily enough I did that but it’s up to me to be patient now. If there are injuries or illnesses then I will be waiting and I’ll be ready.”
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