Hickey aiming to achieve World Cup 'dream' after injury hell

Aaron Hickey is looking to make up for lost time with Scotland and achieve his childhood dream of playing at a World Cup after a two-year injury hell.

The 23-year-old Brentford defender hasn’t played for the national team since October 2023 and missed out on the European Championships last summer as he fought his way back to fitness.

After two separate surgeries on a recurring hamstring injury, he is now playing first team football again and has made two appearances in the English Premier League this season as well being included in the Scotland squad for two crunch qualifiers.

And as Steve Clarke’s men prepare for a double header against Denmark in Copenhagen and Belarus in Hungary, the former Hearts man is aiming to put the last 23 months behind him and help the side make strides towards the tournament being held across North America next summer.

Speaking of his injury woes, Hickey said: “I was close to coming back, then I would feel it again and have to go through the full process again, so that was probably the most difficult part of the injury.

“And, obviously seeing and missing out on the Euros was a big one for me, and that was hard to take.”

By the time the World Cup kicks off in Mexico in June 2026, it will be 28 years since Scotland last played at a World Cup, but Hickey believes they could finally break that cycle.

But rather than looking too far ahead, he is just focusing on getting back playing again and taking it day-by-day.

He said: “I think it’s every boy’s dream to go to the World Cup, so you aim for that high.

“To think you’ve been out for a long period and you’ve got to make up for that time, so I’m just taking it day-by-day.

“I’m just thankful to be here again and I’m just taking every day in my stride.”