Hickey withdraws from Scotland Under-21 squad needing rest

Aaron Hickey has pulled out of the Scotland Under-21 squad for European Championship qualifiers, telling manager Scot Gemmill he needs rest ahead of upcoming club games.

The former Hearts full-back has established himself in Bologna’s first team and has played in every league game for the Serie A club this season.

That has led him to withdraw from the international squad, despite not carrying an injury, saying he needs a break.

“Aaron’s not injured,” Gemmill said at a media conference ahead of games against Kazakhstan and Belgium. “He’s asked to rest.

“He thinks he’s played a lot of games. He had surgery in the summer and he feels he needs to prepare for his next game in Serie A.

“I take that at face value, absolutely. I think we have to respect his decision. He’s a young player who knows himself what he needs.

“I have to concentrate on the players that are here. We’ve obviously got big games coming up on Friday and Tuesday so we’re just concentrating on preparing the players that are here and hopefully we get to work with Aaron in the future.”

Gemmill did have better news regarding his squad when Hibs star Josh Doig was declared available to join the squad after completing a period of self-isolation.