Hearts: Craig Halkett says easy decision to sign from Livingston
- Published
Craig Halkett scored seven goals in 40 appearances for Livingston last term
Craig Halkett says the decision to join Hearts was an easy one, despite offers from England and abroad.
The former Livingston captain, 24, signed a pre-contract at the start of April and joined up this week.
Halkett says Hearts' eagerness to sign him, as well as his international ambitions, played a big part in his decision to join the club.
"I did have other offers but in the end it was quite an easy decision," the centre-back said.
"Hearts were one of the first clubs in for me. It was coming to meet the manager and seeing the stadium that got me really excited. I got the feeling they were keen to sign me - that was massive.
"There were offers from other clubs in Scotland, England and abroad but when Hearts came in early it was a bit of a no-brainer."
The 24-year-old faces a fight to establish himself ahead of Scotland internationals John Souttar and Christophe Berra, but says he hopes to follow in their footsteps in earning a Scotland call-up.
"Hearts are a massive club and they have already had a few players getting international recognition," he said.
"So I knew that coming here would help me. It's going to be a challenge and it's one I'm looking forward to, but the Scotland cap is a long-term target of mine."
Halkett joined Livingston in 2016 after being released by his boyhood club Rangers.
He suffered relegation to the Scottish League One in his first season in West Lothian before enjoying consecutive promotions.
"It was a really tough time in my career," he said. "I wasn't too sure where my career was going to go but obviously I've bounced back and it's been on the up since then.
"It says a lot about me - I always want to keep fighting and that's going to stick with me for my whole career."