Sunday, December 22, 2024
SportHeartsHearts winger Jamie Walker hopes his return to top form is lasting...

Hearts winger Jamie Walker hopes his return to top form is lasting after distractions of Rangers interest

HEARTS winger Jamie Walker reckons he is back to his best – and he hopes it stays that way.

The 24-year-old has confessed his form took a nosedive amidst speculation over his future at the club and a possible move to Rangers.

The talented attacker was even dropped from the squad at one point because then head coach Ian Cathro claimed he was ‘not in the right frame of mind’.

With the summer transfer window closing with Walker still at Tynecastle, new boss Craig Levein spoke of the player suffering a ‘disappointment’ that the switch west had fallen through.

Walker in action against Rangers last season

However, following his recovery from a hamstring injury, the former Scotland under-21 internationalist believes he is back to peak condition after netting a stunning free-kick in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Hamilton Accies.

That display came after what Levein branded as Walker’s best performance of the season in the previous week’s draw with Ross County.

Walker said: “Hopefully that’s me finding my best form again.

“It’s been a tough four or five months for me, I’ve not been at my best.

EXCELLENT

“But last week I was excellent and on Saturday I put in another good performance.

“I’m delighted and hopefully I can keep it going.”

Hearts were left disappointed they could not maintain the lead Walker gave them early in the second-half against Hamilton, with Xavier Tomas’s header from a corner earning Accies parity and ensuring the Jambos winless run stretched to six matches.

But Walker believes they can be satisfied with the draw after losing youngster Jamie Brandon to a red card for a second booking before half-time.

He added on BBC Alba: “It was disappointing not to hold on for the three points but we played with 10 men for the majority of the match and we dug deep.

“It’s a point at the end of the day.”

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