Robbie Neilson has outlined Yutaro Oda's key attributes as Hearts confirmed the capture of the highly-rated Japanese forward.
The 21-year-old has joined the Jambos from J-League side Vissel Kobe for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year deal. He arrives in the capital with experience of the top flight in Japan, Asian Champions League and international experience at Under-21 level all under his belt. He made his top team debut back in April 2019 as a 17-year-old for Vissel Kobe and has went on to feature alongside Barecelona and Spain legend Andres Iniesta.
Speaking to the official Hearts website, Robbie Neilson said: “I’m really pleased to get Yutaro in as our next signing of this window. He’s got a lot of great attributes but the exciting thing is that he’s still young and there will be more to come from him, so we’ve got a huge part to play in developing him.
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“He’s very quick, very direct and technically very good. He’ll bring a lot to the team and we’re all looking forward to working with him.
Sporting Director Joe Savage added: “We’ve made no secret of our willingness to focus on markets across the world in an effort to identify talent and value for money.
“In Yutaro, we feel we’ve got both of those things. He is someone we had been looking at for a while and, thankfully, all the pieces fell into place to allow us to bring him to the club.
“I’d like to thank Vissel Kobe for their cooperation, CAA Base and in particular Joel Pannick for helping to get the deal done and, of course, our board for their continued backing and support.
“Yutaro has all the qualities to be a hit in maroon and I’m sure our fans are looking forward to seeing him light up the Tynecastle pitch.”
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