Hearts are desperate to take teenage striker Garang Kuol to Tynecastle on a loan deal this month, with the Aussie star having previously earned rave reviews from none other than Barcelona legend and current manager, Xavi.
The teenager only sealed his switch from Central Coast Mariners to Newcastle United in the English Premier League last week, but the Magpies are looking to send him out on loan immediately, with Robbie Neilson's Hearts one of the leading contenders to take him on a temporary deal. Kuol has been snapped touring the Oriam training complex, with the Jambos trying to convince the striker to head to Scottish Premiership on loan this month.
The 18-year old, who became Australia's youngest ever player to feature at a World Cup when he came on as a late substitute against the reigning champions France in November, has enjoyed a rapid rise to the top in his homeland, which earned him a move to Premier League giants Newcastle.
READ MORE: Hearts transfer news as Shankland, Humphrys and key recruitment area discussed by Robbie Neilson
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But one game that really stood out was his performance for the A-League All Star team in a friendly against Barcelona last May, and Mariners head coach and former Scotland Under-21 midfielder Nick Montgomery, has revealed that football icon Xavi, had a lot of positive things to say about Kuol after the game.
He told the Scottish Sun said: "I put Garang in the first team midway through last season, and he was soon creating havoc against opposition defences in the A-League. Then an A-League All Stars team managed by Dwight Yorke played Barcelona last May.
"Garang came off the bench for them with 30 minutes remaining and just completely ripped Barca to shreds. He literally ran past the whole team about three times and should have scored. Everyone just went, ‘Wow, this kid is unbelievable’ — including Xavi.
"Garang made some of the world’s best defenders looked like mannequins. That’s not easy to do, but that is when the interest from Barcelona came. Xavi said, ‘This kid is really special’. When you’ve got someone like him talking like that then it’s pretty obvious these clubs are going to show some interest.
"And from that moment the biggest clubs in the world started looking at Kuol too, including Newcastle."
Should Kuol make the move to Tynecastle this month, Montgomery admitted that he might struggle to adapt to the nature and intensity of the game of the SPFL. He told The Scottish Sun : "Playing in the Scottish Premiership would be a shock to him because it’s more physical than the A-League. The weather is different and the fans are more passionate, so there will be greater pressure."
Should the teenager join the Jambos for the remainder of the season, he will become the 4th Australian member of the squad, with Nathaniel Atkinson, Kyle Rowles and Cammy Devlin all established first team players in the capital.
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