Midfielder Leighton Clarkson is determined to end Aberdeen’s Tynecastle hoodoo by beating the manager who handed him a dream Liverpool debut.
The 23-year-old will come up against his former Liverpool coach Neil Critchley – now Hearts manager – for the first time on Sunday..
Critchley was under-18s manager at the six-time European champions before progressing to take over the under-23s at Anfield.
In 2019, he managed Liverpool for two domestic matches, while first-team boss Jurgen Klopp took a squad from the then-Champions League holders to Qatar to compete in the Fifa Club World Cup.
Critchley managed Liverpool in a 5-0 EFL Cup quarter-final loss at Aston Villa.
It was a team with an average age of 19, as Critchley handed a teenage Clarkson his first taste of senior action with Liverpool.
Clarkson will forever be grateful to Critchley for that debut – but is determined to inflict a defeat on his former Anfield coach to end a barren Aberdeen run at Tynecastle.
The Dons are winless in 11 league visits to Hearts (eight losses, three draws) since a 2-1 victory in May 2017 under Derek McInnes.
Clarkson said: “I know Critch well as he was under-23s manager at Liverpool when I was in the under-18s.
“He gave me my debut for Liverpool in the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa away – it was when the first team went to play in the Club World Cup and Critch took over the side.
“His advice to me just before I went on was to be calm, and to take the quality I have and show it.
“I will always be proud of that moment – and he was the person who gave it to me.
“I know the coaching staff he has brought to Hearts as well, as they were all in the Liverpool academy.”
Critchley filtering down Klopp playing style
At an average of 19 years and 102 days, the Liverpool team against Aston Villa was the youngest in a competitive match in the Anfield club’s history.
Critchley then handed Clarkson his first Liverpool start two weeks later in the 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round replay win against Shrewsbury.
Hearts appointed former Blackpool and Queens Park Rangers manager Critchley as new boss in October on a deal until the end of the 2026-27 season.
The 45-year-old succeeded Steven Naismith, who was sacked in September after a winless start to the Scottish Premiership season.
What can Aberdeen expect from Hearts now Critchley is manager?
Clarkson said: “I don’t know if he has changed since I was at Liverpool.
“Obviously when you are at Liverpool, you feed off the first team.
“So you play how a Klopp team plays and try to filter that down.
“Critch might have tweaked a few things to suit how he wants to play now.
“When we come to the Hearts game, we will have done our debrief to see how they play.”
Aberdeen’s Tynecastle drought now six years
Aberdeen will travel to Tynecastle desperate to end a run of two Premiership games without victory, having drawn at Hibs (3-3) and lost at St Mirren (2-1).
Despite the mini-slump, Jimmy Thelin’s Dons remain in command of second spot in the Premiership, nine points ahead of third placed Rangers.
That gap is due to the sensational start under Thelin, where the Reds were unbeaten in the first 11 Premiership fixtures – with 10 wins.
In contrast, Hearts are languishing near the foot of the table, only ahead of bottom club Hibs on goal difference.
He said: “I haven’t won at Tynecastle – which is something that needs to be changed quickly.
“To be honest, I don’t really know why we haven’t won there recently.
“Hearts are still a really good team.
“Even when they were near enough down and out when they came up here, they still gave us a really tough game (3-2 Aberdeen win, October 6)
“We played against most of those players before and they had beaten us before at their place, sometimes quite comfortably.”
Clarkson’s title hopes for Liverpool
Clarkson initially moved to Aberdeen on a season-long loan from Liverpool in the 2022-23 season.
He made a major impact, and the Dons board delivered a signing coup when securing the midfielder on a permanent four-year deal in summer 2023.
Clarkson arrived at Pittodrie with Champions League experience, as he had started for Liverpool in a 1-1 group match draw with FC Midtjylland in December 2020.
That season he was also on the bench in Champions League games against Real Madrid, Ajax, Atalanta and Red Bull Leipzig.
The midfielder still keeps close tabs on his former club, who hold an eight-point lead a the top of the English Premier League.
Under new boss Arne Slot, Liverpool also top the Champions League with a 100% record, having won 2-0 against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Clarkson said: “Liverpool are flying, and hopefully they can go all the way and win the league.
“KIopp is one of those managers where if it wasn’t his decision, he would never have left. A real top coach.
“But they brought in Arne Slot who has done really well with pretty much Klopp’s team.
“He has not made too many transfers, so it will be interesting to see the transfer side of it and how well they do.”
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