‘This kid is unbelievable’ – The moment Hearts target Garang Kuol wowed Barcelona legend Xavi
NEWCASTLE wonderkid Garang Kuol is tipped to become a Tynecastle fans’ favourite if he seals a loan switch to Hearts.
The 18-year-old attacking sensation, who starred for Australia at the World Cup in Qatar, is wanted by Jambos boss Robbie Neilson.
Former refugee Kuol spent yesterday in talks with Hearts chiefs, as they try to persuade him to move north for the rest of the season.
The mega-rich Magpies see a loan spell as vital in the next stage of Kuol’s development, as the Jambos bid to fight off Reading and QPR to land him.
Kuol has spent the past two years with Aussie A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners, where he was nurtured by former Sheffield United and Scotland Under-21 midfielder Nick Montgomery.
Mariners boss Montgomery told SunSport: “Garang has electric pace and massive potential, but he remains raw and still has to learn the game.
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“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.
“These are all things he’s going to have to adapt to, but he’s a good kid, talented and humble.
“Once Kuol acclimatises to his new environment, whoever takes him on loan, whether that be the Championship or Premiership, it will be exciting times for him.
“It’s got to be a club with a manager who believes in young players. Hopefully, Newcastle will choose a team where Garang can continue his growth as a person and as a player.
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“He’s still very young and he’s had a lot happen to him in the space of 12 months.”
There is already a relationship between the Mariners and Hearts, with Kye Rowles having made the move from the A-League outfit to Gorgie last summer.
Fellow Socceroos stars Nat Atkinson and Cammy Devlin are also at the Jambos.
Montgomery added: “Hearts are a good club and having a few familiar faces can only help Garang to settle in if he goes there.”
Kuol, whose elder brother, Alou, also made his name at the Mariners before joining German side Stuttgart in July 2021, exploded on to the scene last year.
He made his A-League debut in April last year, and the following month saw him play in All Stars team against Barcelona in Sydney.
Kuol stole the show in a cameo appearance off the bench against Xavi’s star-studded side.
Montgomery 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.”
Born in Egypt to Sudanese parents who had fled their war-torn homeland a few years earlier, Kuol and his family moved to Australia as refugees, eventually settling near Melbourne.
One of six brothers, he joined the Mariners’ impressive youth system, then headed up by Montgomery, back in January 2021.
The coach, whose outstanding work in the Mariners’ youth ranks saw him promoted to first-team boss in July of that year, was also short-listed for the vacant Motherwell job last year.
Montgomery added: “Garang’s parents moved from South Sudan to Egypt and then to Australia, settling in Shepperton, which is a town in the middle of nowhere outside Melbourne.
“They are a big family with six brothers and they started playing for a local club called Goulburn Valley Suns.
“We brought in Garang when he was 16 and quite quickly had him playing for the Under-18s, then the Under-20s and Under-23s.
“I had him coming off the bench for me in the Under-23s when he was 17.
“He was scoring goals and assisting, because he was just so quick.
“He’s got the attributes to be a top player and, when I got the first-team job, Garang had only just turned 17.
“I put him on a scholarship contract so he could support himself and brought him straight into the first team.
“Everyone raised their eyebrows at that because he was just a little kid, but he settled in quite quickly.
“I couldn’t get him off the training ground and he was constantly doing extras, shooting, crossing and finishing, after the sessions.
“Kuol lives and breathes football and the senior boys took to him straight away.
“He gained momentum really quickly and just became this shining light in Australian football.
“It has been an amazing journey for a young kid who we brought in at 16.
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“Now Garang is being talked about as one of the most exciting young talents in the world. It has been a real fairytale rise for him.”
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