BEN WOODBURN has revealed he is open to staying at Hearts beyond this season and confessed the enticing prospect of European football could be a deciding factor.
The on-loan Liverpool youngster knows from his parent club just what continental competition can do for a club. With his Anfield employers in another Champions League final, the 22-year-old craves a piece of the action for himself.
His contract south of the border is up this summer and, without an appearance for the Reds since 2018, his future appears to lie elsewhere. With Hearts manager Robbie Neilson expressing a desire to hang on to the Wales internationalist, Woodburn himself admits he has plenty of reasons for sticking around in the capital.
“I can start talking about it whenever,” he said of his Hearts future. “But I am focused on this season. We’ve got some big games. The manager is focused on this season, so it is going to be after the season finishes when we start talking about it and settling down. There’s holidays and stuff as well. We can have a big think about it and hopefully we can get something sorted.
“Europe’s massive, isn’t it? That’s another big experience; playing abroad and playing in different countries and differ atmospheres. It’s going to be amazing. I’d be looking forward to it a lot.
“Right now, for me, it is just playing games. The money side always just takes care of itself. Obviously, it’s got to suit everyone involved, but I just want to play games, really. I’m only young, there’s plenty of time for the other side of it.”
Woodburn believes Rangers’ Europa League success will have made some south of the border sit up and take notice of the Scottish game. However, he was already convinced he made the right choice last summer in turning his back on the glamour of what has turned out to be Liverpool’s quadruple quest in favour of the trials and tribulations of gaining first-team experience.
Now, it is all about using three more Premiership outings to win a Scottish Cup final spot and hopefully land some silverware of his own.
“I have got to focus on myself, be selfish,” he said ahead of the trip to face Celtic in a match that could confirm the Hoops title triumph. “Sitting around watching [Liverpool] do things, probably not playing, isn’t really going to benefit me.
“As much as it would be amazing to be a part of, and obviously I would learn from the top players, I think for me right now it is best to just try and play as many games as I can.
“There have been ups and downs this year. But I feel in a good place right now. The team is too. Obviously we have got the Scottish Cup final, which we’re all looking forward to. I’m just buzzing to finish the season, hopefully on a high
“Hands up to Rangers, they’ve done an amazing job in [Europe]. It’s going to be a really tough game, they’ve got some good players. But I believe we can win, I don’t think we should go into it thinking anything else.”
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