Hearts boss Laszlo leaps to defence of under-fire Obua

CSABA LASZLO leapt to the defence of Hearts' under-fire Ugandan midfielder David Obua today after holding discussions with the player about recent supporters' criticism.

Fans of the Tynecastle club have grown increasingly impatient with Obua of late due to a series of unconvincing performances. He was jeered from the field on Saturday against Dundee United after sustaining a groin injury which could sideline him for two weeks.

Laszlo has held face-to-face talks with the player he lured to Scotland last summer from the South African side Kaizer Chiefs. The manager is concerned that he has not adapted to the SPL as anticipated but requested more time from supporters, stressing that Obua's talent is not in question.

"I spoke with him and I am sure he will come back and show us his best," the Hungarian told the Evening News. "I know David is finding it very heavy, it's a different country, different culture, different football style. David is a clever guy and he must look to improve.

"On one side I understand the fans and on the other side I must protect my player. I would like to give David the necessary time to show his talent. He is a good player, especially on the left side.

"At the moment we have Andy Driver there who has made a big improvement. This is not easy for David because we have competition, but I want two good players for every position in my team. Everybody has good times and bad times in their career and for David it is hard at the moment."

Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear has declared an interest in taking Obua to England, while Birmingham City are also monitoring his situation. Laszlo, though, wants the 24-year-old to stay in Edinburgh and become Hearts' long-term replacement for Driver.

"This is why we took him," he continued. "I knew him from Uganda and he can play on the left wing. He always gave good performances in this position, both in South Africa and for the national team. I wanted to bring him here to give him the chance to play in Europe. This is his first time in Europe, he can be a great player if he understands what is going on in Europe.

"He was in America as a young guy, then he came back to Africa where he never got a hard time. He was always a top player there and had a lot of success. Now maybe he must learn from this difficult time. He does not have his family around if he has a problem but he knows 100 per cent what he has to do.

"I would like him to stay. We must be fair on him and let him recover from the injury. Afterwards I can build him up. I give him the chance in every game. He would like to play 90 minutes all the time but he must give himself time and show his confidence when he is on the field."