Newcastle United signing Garang Kuol answers questions at World Cup press conference

Kuol hit form for his A-League club before heading to Qatar for the tournament, and he is set to become the youngest Socceroo to feature at a World Cup.

“I don’t really pay attention to what is being said around me,” the 18-year-old told a press conference. “I mainly focus on what I do on the pitch, in training and in games. If I’m not playing well, I’m not going to watch what’s online.

“What’s on the pitch is what makes me happy and gives me the motivation to keep pushing forward.

“(Becoming the youngest World Cup Socceroo is) just another label, it really doesn’t mean anything. I just have to perform on the pitch and that’s what makes me the player I am.

“It’s a very exciting experience for me. I’ve been watching the Socceroos for a long time, and the World Cup is the biggest stage, so I want to prove myself.

“Of course (I can have an impact off the bench) it’s just about having confidence, being ruthless and having that mindset to want to create something and have an impact. I just want to play well, create something and have an impact.

Kuol – who needs a work permit to play in England – is set to be loaned out by Newcastle over the New Year.

“I’m very excited,” Howe said. “He’s a young player with huge potential. I think it’s really a show of the club and myself where we want to go in terms of recruiting young players and trying to develop them in our system for whether they are Premier League players in the future.

“He’s had a meteoric rise, and he’s in a position where he excites everyone, but you have to have patience, and knock on wood, we’ll take care of him, and he’ll go on loan and develop.

“I hope when he comes here he can play a part in our future.”