Australian teenager Garang Kuol joined Newcastle United in January with the heavy weight of expectation on his shoulders regarding his future. He was immediately loaned to Heart of Midlothian to develop, but has so far found game time a rarity.
Garang Kuol joined Hearts on loan after landing in Newcastle
The pace of the British game is completely different to that of the Australian one, and as such, Kuol will need to be given time to adjust to life in the northern hemisphere. Australian head coach, Graham Arnold has reiterated this in his interview with Football Scotland: “Garang, at this moment, I think it’s good for him to come back and be in camp. and be around the boys, and we pick up his energy a little bit.
“He’s had a bit of a tough start at Hearts. The Scottish game, and the way that it’s played, is completely different to Australia, so it’s going to take a little bit of time for him to settle in with that and obviously learn that.
It was highly unlikely that at 18-year-old who cut his teeth in the Australian A-League would be entrusted to jump straight into first-team action with Newcastle, or even eventual loan club, Hearts for that matter, so his lack of game time isn’t a shock.
Kuol is heading back home to hook up with his international teammates ahead of a couple of friendlies against Ecuador and Arnold believes that having some time in familiar surroundings will be good for him: “For him to come back to us and again to be part of the Socceroos squad that did well at the World Cup, and give him one of the first chances, is important for him as well.”
The talent is there for all to see
Since joining Hearts, the Newcastle loanee has made just five appearances, four of which were from the bench. He’s yet to score and even apologised to fans after failing to convert a chance when Hearts met Livingston: “It was a very scruffy match and I was unfortunate not to score a goal which could have won the game,” Kuol told Sky Sports post-match. “But the boys came (and) we fought hard. I’m not going to make many excuses, it (his chance) was not good enough. I just have to practice and make sure I score next time.”
There is no doubting Kuol’s ability – we saw it in Qatar – so when he finally gets to grips with the pace of the British game I have no doubts that Hearts will benefit massively from having him in the team. I think there’s a good chance that Kuol will be loaned out again next season before being drafted into the first-team at Newcastle.
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