Celtic missed out on Garang Kuol but Ange Postecoglou has given the Hearts loanee a message of support.
Aaron Mooy is the only Australian player to have joined Postecoglou at Celtic since his appointment in 2021.
Celtic have placed a bigger focus on the Japanese market but there could have been another Australian arrival in January.
Sky Sports reported in September that Celtic were interested in signing Central Coast Mariners talent Garang Kuol.
Borussia Dortmund were keen too but Newcastle United ended up winning the race.
Kuol has still ended up making the move to Scotland though, securing a loan switch to Hearts of Midlothian.
Kuol therefore played twice against Celtic earlier this month, coming off the bench in Scottish Cup and Scottish Premiership games.
Ange Postecoglou offers support to Garang Kuol
Kuol has now admitted receiving a message of support from Celtic boss Postecoglou.
The 18-year-old has told The Age in Australia that he spoke to Postecoglou after Celtic’s 3-1 win over Hearts.
It’s noted that Postecoglou embraced Kuol before offering the teenager some support.
Kuol claims Postecoglou told him that he is happy to see him working hard at Hearts and hopes to see him thrive going forward.
Kuol admitted that it’s nice for Postecoglou to take such an interest in him and other Australian players, admitting it was a ‘very good moment’ with the Celtic boss.
“It was very brief,” said Kuol. “He just said, ‘I hope you’re settling in well, and keep working hard. I’m happy to see you’re working hard, and hopefully, you can keep doing well.’ It’s good for him to show that he cares about other Aussie players in the league, and that he’s there for them. It was a very good moment,” he added.
The teenager was incredibly highly rated at Central Coast Mariners and even landed a call-up to the Australia national team squad for the World Cup.
Kuol may not be ready for Newcastle action right now or even next season, but the potential is clear.
Who knows, maybe Kuol ends up playing for Postecoglou one day, whether that’s at Celtic or elsewhere.
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