I want Hearts to make tough choices on me in Livingston loan spell, says ace
On-loan Hearts kid Macaulay Tait wants to make it as difficult as possible for the Edinburgh giants to leave him at Livingston for the season – and says everybody benefits from that.
The 19-year-old is on a second loan spell from Tynecastle, and jumped at the chance to rejoin David Martindale's side in the Premiership, having helped get them there in the first place.
On Sunday, Tait hopes to tackle Edinburgh rivals Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup for the first time in his career, and says games like that are part of the draw the Almondvale club holds for him, with a trip to Celtic Park looming next week.
Tait reckons it's a good fit for him at Livingston, and that means all three parties will benefit.
'I'm loving it,' said Tait. 'Just playing football is exactly what I needed, so to do it, and to do it in the top flight, has been amazing. I'm just thankful for the opportunities.
'I was a Jambo growing up, and the loan means I won't be able to play against Hearts this season.
'I think they have an option to bring me back in January, so it's up to me to make it as difficult a decision for Hearts as possible.
'Come here and do as well as I can, and that benefits all three parties, so that's all I'm focusing on, just now.
'Hopefully you keep making Hearts make decisions for you, so we'll wait and see what they say.'
Tait admits the chance to lock horns with teams like Hibs and Celtic was a major draw for him at Livingston, and is absorbing as much as he can from experienced players around him.
He added: 'It's obviously different [coming up against Hibs] but I think that's why coming back to Livi made a lot of sense, because I'd be getting to play against the same teams as I would for Hearts.
'I've never played against Hibs, so it will be nice to do that.
'It's Celtic the week after, and it's a brilliant opportunity to go and play in the biggest stadiums in the country, against the biggest teams, so I'm really looking forward to that.
'We have a good team, so we can hopefully put up a good fight.
'It's a brilliant changing room, they players have been brilliant with me, and I love working with every single one of them. They've taken me under their wing and helped me a lot.
'They're an experienced group, they've all played at the highest
level, so you listen to them, and take all the advice they give you on board.'
Tait played 15 times for Livi last season, helping them to win the SPFL Trust Trophy and gain promotion back to the Premiership via a play-off win over Ross County.
He has already got off the mark this season, scoring in a 2-1 Premier Sports Cup group stages win over East Fife, and says the decision to head back to West Lothian was instant.
'It was a pretty easy decision, to be fair,' said Tait. 'I look at the midfield at Hearts and it's pretty stacked just now, and there was a good chance it was going to get increased.
'There was no point in wasting what I did last year at Livi, so when the chance came to come back, it made perfect sense to go into a side in the top flight.'
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