Robbie Neilson is hopeful his international contingent will return to action with Hearts with a spring in their step this weekend as they hit the home straight in the race for third in the Premiership.
The Jambos enjoyed mixed success on an individual level with their countries over the domestic lay-off, with a head knock and concussion suffered by Cammy Devlin with Australia ruling him out of tomorrow’s trip to face Kilmarnock.
However, with on-loan Newcastle United ‘wonderkid’ Garang Kuol boosted by becoming the fourth youngest ever to score for the Aussies and Kye Rowles also adding to his Socceroos caps in their double-header with Ecuador, more attention at Tynecastle was focused on the club’s Scotland duo.
Zander Clark, of course, lost out to Angus Gunn for the number one spot but Neilson is convinced will still have been inspired by the nation’s stunning victory over Spain. Meanwhile, Lawrence Shankland’s late cameo at Hampden on Tuesday is certain to have energised Hearts’ top scorer after he was initially overlooked by Steve Clarke for the Euro qualifiers.
“The guys got a few days off over the weekend,” said Neilson of the international break. “Some of them went back home. Lawrence was away and then he came back when he got the call.
“I was delighted for him. Firstly, you saw the commitment to come back for the camp and, then, to get a bit of game-time is brilliant for him.
“I was at the game and he had that opportunity [a late shot saved by Kepa], and just being on the park and being part of that victory is massive for him. There was a disappointment [at missing out on original squad] but he’s a big boy, and then he got the call.
“The big thing for me was for him to get game-time, that in a pressure situation that Steve trusted him. He went on and did very well. He got the opportunity, but not only that, he pressed well, defended well. He’ll definitely be in Steve’s thoughts for the summer.”
Asked whether he would have to lift Clark’s spirits after he was forced to play second fiddle to Gunn, Neilson added: “The thing with Zander is that he was involved in the squad, that’s the biggest thing. Six months ago, in the summer, he didn’t have a club. Six months down the line he is the Hearts number one and on the bench against Spain for Scotland. He will be delighted with that, I’m sure.”
Much has been made of Kuol’s failure to make much of an impact at Hearts since joining on loan in the January transfer window. The 18-year-old arrived with a massive reputation already earned by his inclusion in Australia’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar, where he played against both France and Argentina.
He has failed to score for the Gorgie outfit in seven appearances and was hauled off at half-time in his only start so far - the 3-0 defeat to Rangers last month. However, Neilson has no doubts the teenager’s influence on the team will increase as the weeks progress.
“I’m delighted for him,” he said of Kuol netting his first international goal in the 3-1 victory over Ecuador last Friday. “He’s probably not got as much game-time as he’d like [at Hearts]. But we knew bringing him here and we spoke with Newcastle, it is a big development for him coming here.
“You can see in the Australia games, coming on at the end, I would like to give him more game-time and I’m sure he will get that
“It’s [about] European football, getting used to that and being away from home. He was an 18-year-old kid who has come away from Australia, plonked down in the UK and straight up to Edinburgh. He has taken time to develop.
“But I can definitely see him coming on with the defensive aspects of his game. I think we all knew that would be the area he’d need to develop. He’s a confident guy anyway, whether he scores or scores three goals he’ll still be the same, he wants the ball and wants to do well.”
