Newcastle youngster Garang Kuol is ready to announce himself on the world stage, with the Australian forward gearing up for his nation’s World Cup opener against France.
Newcastle fans have yet to see the 18-year-old in a black and white shirt, so they will be excited to see how he fairs against the world’s best before his arrival on Tyneside in January. The youngster only made his debut for the Socceroos in September, but he has stated that he is not intimidated by the thought of facing the best footballing nations on the planet.
“There is no intimidation,” Kuol said in a recent press conference.
“I find it more exciting to see what you can do against players of that calibre. You have to go into it with the right mindset and wanting to create something.
“I just want to play well, create something and make an impact.”
Via [Sheppnews]
This will be music to the ears of Toon boss Eddie Howe, who has always been keen to iterate his preference for signing players with the right character. Howe gave the thumbs-up to signing the youngster from Central Coast Mariners in September, having seen the then 17-year-old score 6 goals in just 13 games in his breakthrough season.
Speaking of his time with the Mariners, Kuol added:
“Before I went to the Central Coast Mariners I was playing NPL2 in Victoria, so I was training twice a week and it was a killer for me.
“I wanted to be training every day, so as soon as I came into the Mariners I was training every day which is what I wanted to do my whole life.
“That’s really where my journey really started in terms of being a proper footballer, so the impact it’s had on me has been massive. I’m just thankful for those at the Mariners who brought me in and nurtured me on my way.”
It was thought that Kuol would be sent back out on loan as soon as he joined in January, but a strong performance in Qatar might just persuade Howe to keep the Australian on board for the Premier League run-in.