Souttar was born in Aberdeen on 25 September 1996 to parents Jack and Heather. His father had previously been a professional footballer, with Brechin City. His mother's side of the family hails from Australia. Growing up in the village of Luthermuir, Aberdeenshire, Souttar attended Luthermuir Primary and then Mearns Academy in nearby Laurencekirk. In 2002, Souttar began to play for Brechin City Boys Club, where he was coached by his father in a successful team also containing Ryan Gauld and Euan Spark. The trio also developed their skills at coaching schools run in Dundee by Ian Cathro, before joining Dundee United's youth system in 2006 at the age of nine. Souttar has a younger brother, Harry, who plays for Stoke City.
Club career
Dundee United
After progressing through the various youth team levels at Dundee United, Souttar signed a professional contract in July 2012 and became a member of the club's under-20 development squad. After just four months in the development team, injuries and suspensions led to Souttar making his first team debut on 2 January 2013, playing in central defence from the start in a 2–2 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium. Aged 16 years and 99 days, he became the youngest ever player to play for Dundee United. On 24 January 2013, Souttar signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until January 2016. Still aged 16, Souttar returned to the first team in April 2013 following an injury to Brian McLean and started regularly for the remainder of the season, playing against Celtic in a 4–3 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat on 14 April 2013 at Hampden Park. Souttar's form began to attract the attention of other clubs, with English Premier League team Sunderland having a bid of £600,000 accepted by Dundee United in October 2013. After speaking to Sunderland officials, Souttar decided to turn down the transfer. On 4 November 2013, Souttar signed another extension to his contract, keeping him at Dundee United until May 2016. Souttar continued to play regularly in central defence throughout the 2013–14 season and scored his first goal for the club in a Scottish Premiership match against Aberdeen on 1 January 2014. Souttar missed the first three months of the 2014–15 season due to an ankle injury sustained in pre-season. After his return to the first team, Dundee United successfully experimented with Souttar in a defensive midfield role in matches against Celtic and Aberdeen during April 2015, a position in which he has subsequently featured regularly. In October 2015, new United head coach Mixu Paatelainen played Souttar at right back in his first two matches in charge. In all he made seventy three appearances in all competitions, scoring twice.
Heart of Midlothian
On 1 February 2016, Souttar signed for fellow Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian, agreeing a three and a half year contract for an undisclosed fee. Speaking about his move Souttar said that he was "looking forward to getting stuck in and getting my career back on track," Souttar played regularly for Hearts during the 2016–17 season until he suffered a ruptured achilles during a match against Celtic in January 2017. He suffered a similar injury during a Scottish Cup tie with Rangers in February 2020.
International career
Souttar has represented Scotland at under-17 level, making his debut on 28 August 2012, in a 0–0 draw against Belgium. In May 2013, Souttar made his debut for the Scotland under-19 team, against England. Alex McLeish called Souttar into the senior Scotland squadfor the first time in May 2018, but he was forced to withdraw due to hip and hamstring injuries. In August 2018, Souttar's manager at Hearts, Craig Levein, suggested that Souttar may be called up for Australia if not selected for Scotland. Souttar later admitted he had not considered playing for Australia or been contacted by Football Federation Australia, and that he was unaware Levein was going to make the suggestion. Souttar was again selected for Scotland in September 2018, and he made his full international debut in a 4–0 defeat against Belgium on 7 September.
