Neil Critchley tells Hearts fans the transfer they should be excited about despite ‘time to adapt’ caveat

Neil Critchley tells Hearts fans the transfer they should be excited about despite ‘time to adapt’ caveat

Neil Critchley praised Elton Kabangu, the on-loan frontman who scored twice in the second half on his full debut to prevent Hearts from losing to Brechin in the Scottish Cup.

The Royal Union Saint-Gilloise forward scored twice and set up another as the Jambos rallied to defeat the Highland League leaders, who were led by Scott Bright’s miracle strike at a crowded Glebe Park. Kabangu signed on loan from the Belgian club at the start of the window, with the option to make it permanent in the summer, but his debut was delayed by government red tape. Critchley believes Hearts fans will support him now that he has been given a starting role after coming off the bench against Aberdeen last weekend.

He stated, “Elton demonstrated what he is about. He is a finisher both around the goal and inside the penalty area. He will provide energy, excitement, and effort at the top of the pitch. He’s difficult to handle for 90 minutes. He has an excellent blend of speed and endurance, which allows him to run for extended periods of time, making it difficult for defenders to keep him quiet.

“I’m sure the fans are excited about what they’ve seen from him tonight. And going on against Aberdeen, I believed he made a difference.

“He has had a fantastic start. But he hasn’t played much football in a while, and it will take him some time to adjust to the style of play and his new teammates. Even this week, we have been showing him. There are differences in how we defend compared to his previous team.

“And where we want him to run and assault. He has a lot to think about, and we don’t want to overwhelm him. We want him to settle within our atmosphere and ultimately thrive.”

Yan Dhanda equalized the match after St Johnstone loanee Bright’s strike. Hearts took the lead thanks to an own goal by ex-Jambo Kevin McHattie before Kabangu scored twice. Critchley remarked, “The job is done. Yan scored a terrific goal, which helped to calm us down.

“Scoring early in the second half eased us down; we played some good football. We finished the assignment and advanced to the next stage.

“It was a tremendous strike for them, but we had been playing well up until that point. The longer it goes 1-0, the more nervous and anxious we become; we needed that moment of excellence to get us back into the game. Once we settled down and recalled how to play good football, we began to make things easier for ourselves.”