Lawrence Shankland, a Scottish native born on the 10th of August 1995, currently serves as a forward for Hearts, primarily engaging in the striker role. Standing at 6ft (1.85m) and tipping the scales at a well-maintained 12st 1lb (77kg), the sturdy Shankland dons the number 9 jersey. Beyond club commitments, he has also carried the honour of representing the national Scotland team.
At the sizzling age of 29, Shankland's bark in the market is worth a notable £2.13m (Transfermarkt), presenting a formidable asset within the ranks of Hearts. However, this asset's contract is approaching its sunset, with the end set for the 31st of May, 2025, only two months away.
In the brisk July of 2012, Shankland found himself warming up the pitch with Queen's Park in the Scottish Championship. His debut season (2012-2013) was not a timid one, rippling the nets ten times during 33 first team appearances. The following year, he was swept up by Aberdeen in the Premiership for an undisclosed fee, marking his initial entrance into the Scottish big league. Once there, he secured a fair 17 first team appearances during the 2014-2015 season.
However, before settling into the rhythm at Aberdeen, Shankland was loaned out to Dunfermline Athletic in January 2014, also part of the Scottish Championship. Here, he showcased his striker prowess by tallying up seven goals in 13 appearances for the remainder of the 2013-2014 season, before promptly returning to Aberdeen.
Shankland's career, despite its early promise, was not exempt from the rough and tumble of footballing life. In August 2015, he found himself on loan again, this time at St Mirren in the Premiership. The 2015-16 season saw him enjoy 31 first team outings and netting ten goals. Though the following 2016-17 season showed a dip in form with no goals from 17 appearances, Shankland wasn't one to be easily discouraged.
In January 2017, once again he was loaned out, this time to Greenock Morton in the Championship. During the 2016-2017 season, he featured 16 times in the first team, scoring four goals. After a relatively successful season, Shankland found a new home at Ayr United in September 2017. During the 2017-2018 season, he made the net bulge 16 times in 18 appearances, a remarkable improvement in his count.
Shankland was on the move once again in July 2019, where he joined Dundee United for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons. Over the two seasons, he scored eight and zero goals in 32 and one appearances respectively. After his spell at Dundee United, he was transferred to Beerschot in Belgium's Pro League for approximately £1.1m, securing five goals across 26 matches for the 2021-2022 season.
In July 2022, Shankland brought his talents back home to Scotland, landing firmly at Hearts for an undisclosed fee. His impact was immediate and immense, scoring an impressive 24 goals in each of the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, with 37 appearances apiece. As for the current season, 2024-2025, he has made 27 appearances and scored four goals so far.
On the international stage, Shankland had sub appearances for Scotland in the Euro 2024 and Nations League 2024-2025, coupled with scoring a Euro Qualifiers goal. Additionally, he's also been active on the home front with Hearts, participating in the Scottish Cup, League Cup, Europa League Qualifiers and the Conference League.
