Steven Naismith has opened up on the text message he sent Garang Kuol as the Hearts loanee continues to struggle for minutes in the capital.
The Jambos had been on a poor losing run up until last weekend when they hammered bottom club Ross County 6-1 to spark their season back into life going into the league split. Aberdeen are five points ahead of the Tynecastle side in third spot with five games to go in the battle to finish best of the rest behind Celtic and Rangers.
The Australia international arrived in the capital on loan from Newcastle United after the Champions League chases snapped him up from Central Coast Mariners. Game-time was limited under Robbie Neilson and it has been much the same under Naisy. The interim boss knows the 18-year-old was likely thinking he would get his big chance with Hearts in such a commanding position against the Staggies - but he remained an unused sub.
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Naismith quickly got in touch with the attacker to explain his reasons while he has also hailed the youngster for his willingness to learn and improve since he took over following the sacking of previous boss Neilson.
He explained to Edinburgh Evening News: “I didn’t know too much in terms of Garang’s best attributes when he signed because I was with the B team. Like I’ve done with so many other players, I sat down and had a chat with him.
“I told him: ‘First of all, I understand you have moved halfway round the world. At 18, you’ve moved to one club and went on loan to another club. You have all this pressure on you deliver. That’s a lot to deal with, so let’s strip it back. You firstly need to get to the point where you are just enjoying it and you are learning.’
“I texted Garang after the game on Saturday [against Ross County] when I went home because he was on my mind. I said: ‘I know you will be really disappointed not to get on the pitch. I know you might have been sitting thinking you would definitely get on at 6-0. It was more circumstances of players coming off and who I felt I could put on rather than anything you’ve done.’
“Since I’ve been in this role, he has shown a willingness to learn and I’ve seen improvement – more with off-the-ball stuff. He is a young kid and he lacks that switch when you lose the ball to think: ‘Right, what do I do?’ He hasn’t had that coached as yet. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve seen a big difference and his reactions are much better now.
“He wants to be involved and score goals like every player does. We do sympathise with him. I’ve enjoyed working with him and I think he will be a good player in years to come. He just needs to keep learning.”
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