ALLIANZ STADIUM, TURIN, ITALY - 2020/08/01: Aaron Ramsey of Juventus FC celebrates with the trophy during the award ceremony for Serie A 2019-2020 title (scudetto) at end of the Serie A football match between Juventus FC and AS Roma. PHOTO BY NICOLÒ CAMPO/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES.
Scotland full-back Aaron Hickey has thrown his full support behind winger Ben Gannon-Doak ahead of the national team’s World Cup campaign in the United States.
The Brentford defender has spent the last ten days of the pre-tournament camp building his on-pitch partnership with the £25m Bournemouth winger along Scotland’s right flank.
The pair combined superbly during Scotland’s 4-0 friendly demolition of Bolivia on Saturday, helping set up Che Adams for a tap-in goal.
Hickey is confident the partnership will click even more effectively when Scotland face Haiti in their must-win Group C opener in Boston on Saturday night.
The full-back believes Gannon-Doak has the potential to take the entire tournament by surprise with his unique qualities and searing pace.
Hickey said: “Yeah, I think so. I think he has something different. He adds something different to the team which is exciting for all of us.”
The Brentford man was effusive about his teammate’s physical attributes, adding: “I think his pace is frightening. He’s probably one of the fastest players I’ve ever played with.”
Hickey, who celebrated his 24th birthday in camp on Wednesday, continued to develop the partnership during another training session in sweltering conditions in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The former Bologna defender spoke warmly about the growing connection, saying: “It’s good. It’s exciting for myself as well, playing with Doaky.”
Hickey acknowledged there is still room to grow, noting: “I think he’s a good player, young, exciting, so I think we’ll still get used to each other, what we do and how we link up and also defensively.”
The full-back added that daily sessions are helping the duo sharpen both their attacking combinations and defensive understanding on the training pitch.
Hickey noted that the heat in Charlotte has presented a unique challenge, though he personally welcomed it after his time playing football in Italy.
“Training here in this heat as well has been different. I think a few of the boys are used to the heat obviously, playing in Italy, myself included, so it’s been enjoyable,” he said.
The squad has also begun detailed preparation for their Haitian opponents, including video analysis sessions designed to give Scotland every possible edge heading into the tournament opener.
Hickey summed up the collective mood in camp, saying: “We’ve begun preparing for Haiti, doing some video analysis and we’re just focused on it now because it’s such a massive game for us.”
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