Aaron Mooy flourished with a loan move after leaving the A-League – and incoming Hearts recruit Garang Kuol can do the same as the Celtic star.
The attacker appeared for Australia at the World Cup last year and the 18-year-old's stock has continued rising with a move from Central Coast Mariners to Newcastle United. Hearts will pull off a coup and bring him in on a loan deal until the end of the season so the winger can continue his senior development.
Mooy is now a regular with Ange Postecoglou's Celtic, but back in 2012, found himself back down under after time at Bolton and St Mirren. He joined Manchester City from Melbourne City in 2016 and used a loan to Huddersfield Town to establish himself as a Premier League player, and former Socceroos star Tommy Oar predicts Kuol's Hearts stint having similar impacts. He told Optus Sport: "In selecting Hearts, all the signs are that he has made a very smart next career choice.
"Kuol’s A-League and national team exploits over the last six months has been nothing short of extraordinary. Regardless of what situation he has been thrown into, he has found a way to make it work, all the while remaining down to earth and taking it all in his stride.
"However, further to his on-field talent, there are many other factors which will determine what his trajectory will be. As football fans we only get to see 90-minute snippets, but so much more goes on behind the scenes that often determine how successful a player will become.
"There is no doubt Kuol’s World Cup counterparts and Hearts teammates Kye Rowles, Nathaniel Atkinson, and Cammy Devlin will afford him the same benefits, and be influential in helping him adjust to his new surroundings. The importance of this support network cannot be understated.
"Hearts will expect him to bring them success in his short stint. They are unlikely to be patient with him as a parent club would be, or have any long-term strategy to develop him.
"They will have no benefit for doing so because he isn’t their player and any potential transfer fee wouldn’t be theirs. This means that Kuol will need to perform significantly better than the existing players on the books to earn regular game time.
"No mean feat considering Hearts are sitting in third place and playing some fantastic football. This has been an issue for many other A-League talents moving abroad.
"Moving to a club that is invested in your development and patient, can be a significant contributing factor into the opportunities you are provided. Although it does provide a challenge, examples such as Aaron Mooy, who signed for Manchester City before thriving on loan at Huddersfield, prove that it certainly is possible if you’re talented enough, which Kuol is."
