Hearts duo tipped to be Australia's present and future after World Cup qualification

Hearts duo Kye Rowles and Nathaniel Atkinson have been tipped to be mainstays of the Australia national team for years to come.

The defenders helped the Aussies reach the World Cup in Qatar later this year following a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates and then a penalty shoot-out success over Peru.

Rowles only made his Australia debut in a friendly against Jordan in preparation for the matches, while Atkinson also earned caps two and three having started both of the crucial World Cup play-off encounters.

For Hearts, their presence at the tournament should net the club six figures, while providing exposure on the international stage with Australia in a group alongside France, Denmark and Tunisia.

In addition, Rowles and Atkinson will arrive in Edinburgh ahead of next season buoyed by that experience and better players for it.

Fellow Aussie defender Bailey Wright pinpointed his team-mates in for praise.

"Kye, stepping in, making his debut the other day and playing in these games, it's a credit to him,” the Sunderland star said, as per the Daily Record.

"He's taken it in his stride. His maturity, his quality, he's got a big future ahead of him and so does Nath.

Hearts duo Kye Rowles and Nathaniel Atkinson helped Australia reach the World Cup in Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)

"We've got a lot of good young players coming through.

"As a team we've got all them little ingredients, that togetherness, that's really galvanised us to make sure we get the best out of each other regardless of how many caps we've got, how many games we've played, what age we are.”