Garang Kuol’s loan move from Newcastle United to Hearts is not going completely to plan, but his manager Robbie Neilson believes he has already improved as a player.
Newcastle let Kuol move to the Scottish side in January to join their Aussie contingent, but he has struggled for minutes at Hearts.
The 18-year-old has only started one game since crossing the border, where he was criticised for his performance against Rangers. In his defence, he was asked to play as a centre-midfielder, which is not his position.
Questions have been asked about the decision to send Kuol to Hearts, but it was the destination that made the most sense given his situation.
He has recently been back in Australia for the international break, and netted his first ever Socceroos goal. That should give him great confidence heading into the final few months of his loan spell with Hearts, and Neilson has admitted that Kuol has definitely improved one element of his game.
Robbie Neilson highlights Garang Kuol’s development
Hearts take on Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership this weekend, and Neilson has spoke to the Herald about Kuol ahead of the game.
“He’s probably not got as much game-time as he’d like [at Hearts],” he said.
“But we knew bringing him here and we spoke with Newcastle, it is a big development for him coming here.
“You can see in the Australia games, coming on at the end, I would like to give him more game-time and I’m sure he will get that.
“It’s [about] European football, getting used to that and being away from home. He was an 18-year-old kid who has come away from Australia, plonked down in the UK and straight up to Edinburgh. He has taken time to develop.
“But I can definitely see him coming on with the defensive aspects of his game. I think we all knew that would be the area he’d need to develop. He’s a confident guy anyway, whether he scores or scores three goals he’ll still be the same, he wants the ball and wants to do well.”
Good news for Newcastle
Neilson sums up the difficult situation that Kuol finds himself in. He has moved across the world at such a young age, and is inevitably going to take time to settle.
But the Hearts boss has noted an improvement in his defensive ability, which will delight Eddie Howe back at Newcastle. He appreciates wingers who can protect their defenders, which is why Miguel Almiron has played such a pivotal role this season.
While minutes have been hard to come by, the most important thing for Kuol is the experience. It is helping him settle in the United Kingdom, and it is also leading to an improvement in his ability.
He is only 18-years-old. He is still a project. But he has all the raw tools to be a superstar, and will eventually become the complete package in the coming years.
It was never going to happen overnight, even if Newcastle fans would like to see him play more regularly between now and the end of the season.
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