Peter Haring has warned Hearts fans not to judge Donis Avdijaj on his underwhelming spell in Edinburgh.
The Kosovan struck twice as FC Zurich thumped Linfield 3-0 on the night (5-0 on aggregate) to book their spot in the Europa League play round against the Jambos. Avdijaj spent a disappointing couple of months in Gorgie back in 2020. He arrived on loan under Daniel Stendel, but made just three appearances in maroon before the capital club were banished to the Championship after a premature end to the season.
His signing was seen as a flop after the player gave himself a big build up. Haring admitted he didn’t really see much of Avdijaj up close as he battled back from a long-term injury that season. But he knew enough after watching him closely while starring for Sturm Graz in Haring’s homeland. The forward netted 13 goals and provided 11 assists over two seasons in Austria, and Haring has cautioned that he’s a player with quality, despite what hearts fans have seen.
“To be honest, when he was here, it was…yeah, I don’t know," he said. "Especially with what happened to me with my injury, I was out for a long time so wasn’t training with the team or the rest of the group.
“He was here for what? A month or so before Covid stopped the whole thing, so you never know what would’ve happened if the season went on. He was here for such a short time he couldn't really make an impact. No-one could in such a short period.
“I knew him from before when he played for Sturm Graz in Austria and he had a really good two years there. So he’s definitely a player who’s got quality. BUt we’ll look at Zurich after Sunday.
“I think it will definitely be a game he's looking forward to. But you’d need to ask him!”
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