Garang Kuol to Hearts: Newcastle boss Eddie Howe speaks on forward's future - 'we’re trying to find right move for him'

Hearts transfer target Garang Kuol is back training at Newcastle as the English Premier League club weigh up where to send the Australian on loan for the rest of the season.

Several clubs, including Hearts, are keen to sign Garang Kuol on loan from Newcastle.

Kuol, an 18-year-old forward who played for the Socceroos at the World Cup, joined Newcastle from Central Coast Mariners at the start of the month. A pacey forward who is regarded as one of the brightest prospects for his age, his manager Eddie Howe plans to expose him to British first-team football as soon as possible and Hearts are very interested in landing him. The teenager was in Edinburgh on Thursday to take a tour of the Jambos’ training base and meet head coach Robbie Neilson, who made a pitch for the player to head north. With other clubs in England also interested, however, the Tynecastle faces stiff competition for his services and will have to play a waiting game before learning where he will be farmed out to.

“I’ve just bumped into him in the corridor this morning and we had a nice little chat,” Howe said on Kuol, who came on a substitute against Argentina and France at the World Cup, ahead of the Magpies’ FA Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. “He’s good, I saw him before the Arsenal game when he came to watch the team and again, we had a little chat before the match.

“Our plan is still to loan him out. We’re identifying clubs and trying to find the right home for him, somewhere where we feel he will play and be given an opportunity to develop his game. He’s got a great attitude, a real smile that hits you when you meet him. He’s a really bright lad. Hopefully, he’ll get a good loan.”

Howe added in an interview with Newcastle World: “Players go on loan for lots of different reasons and his would be to gain experience, to learn a lot about British football. We really like him and we want him to find a home where coaches will develop him and improve him. He’s still young so naturally, he’s got areas of his game that need work. But that experience, hopefully, will benefit for us and the long-term.”