Minnesota United reportedly the frontrunners for young Scottish winger
By Tyler Hanson
Minnesota United reportedly have interest in Heart of Midlothian winger Sam Nicholson. He is set to fly in to the Twin Cities at some point next week.
As was first reported by The Scottish Sun, and later picked up by Minnesota’s SB Nation site E Pluribus Loonum, Minnesota are apparently interested in bringing Heart of Midlothian winger Sam Nicholson to the Twin Cities.
The Scottish wide man, whose current contract expires on May 31, rejected an improved contract from Hearts last month in hopes of making a move elsewhere. There also appears to be interest from Rangers, Aberdeen, and Barnsley among others, but Minnesota has reportedly made the strongest offer to date.
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Despite a knee injury that caused him to miss 16 matches last season, Nicholson was still a big player for Hearts, netting 4 goals in 19 appearances for the club, and has a total of 9 goals and 13 assists in 80 appearances in the Scottish Premiership. Nicholson also spent 1 season in the Scottish Championship in 2014-15, where he made 29 appearances and scored 5 goals, helping Hearts gain promotion back to the top flight.
Nicholson, who is primarily a left winger, is technically skilled and possesses plenty of pace. Nicholson is left-footed, but he also seems to like cutting inside and playing through the middle, which is something Adrian Heath really likes from his wingers.
Nicholson would be a good signing for the Loons, who are in desperate need of attacking depth, and just found out that SuperDraft pick Abu Danladi would miss 2-3 weeks minimum with an injury he suffered against the Galaxy. With the Gold Cup approaching, Nicholson would be a nice player to have, as that’s when Minnesota will be very thin.
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At the very least, Nicholson should be able to challenge current left winger Miguel Ibarra for minutes, if not win the starting job. Nicholson also provides potential, as he’s only 22 years old, but he also provides experience, already having made over 100 appearances across all competitions for his boyhood club, Heart of Midlothian.
According to the Scottish Sun, Nicholson will fly to the Twin Cities at some point next week, in order to have a look around and engage in further contract talks. It will be interesting to see how Nicholson fits in to Minnesota’s current lineup, if a deal is eventually reached.
Here are some of Nicholson’s highlights for Heart of Midlothian: