Robertson sold Woodburn on Hearts move
NEW Hearts signing Ben Woodburn has revealed the role Scotland captain Andy Robertson played in his move from Liverpool. The 21-year-old has completed a season-long loan from Anfield and is already looking forward to making
his mark in next month’s Edinburgh derby against bitter rivals Hibernian. Woodburn is highly-rated at Anfield, where he impressed manager Jurgen Klopp enough during pre-season outings against Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna to earn a place on the bench for the campaign curtain-raiser against Norwich City. The attacking midfielder is the Reds’ youngest-ever goalscorer, beating Michael Owen with an EFL Cup strike against Leeds United at the age of just 17 years and 45 days.
Twice nominated for the European Golden Boy award, he also scored a maiden international goal on his Wales debut in a World Cup qualifying match against Austria in 2017 and has ten caps to his name. However, since his initial impact at Liverpool, Woodburn (right) has been allowed to head out on loan to build up greater first-team experience, first spending time with Sheffield United before further spells with Oxford United and Blackpool. Now Hearts will seek to help accelerate the development of Woodburn, who is expected to make his debut in maroon away to Dundee United on Saturday. He said: ‘When I heard about the interest, I was buzzing. I spoke to Andy Robertson. He talked about a few of the boys he knows. He said there is a good bunch of lads here and I should enjoy it. ‘I spoke to the manager before I came up and he had a vision for me, and I agreed with what he thought. ‘It just looks like a massive club. I can’t wait to play in front of the fans and see the atmosphere. I’m buzzing to be here and, hopefully, I can prove to them that I can be a great player for [them]. ‘I think with the games coming, that [derby] is definitely one [to look forward to]. I’ve heard about the rivalry and that’s something I’d love to be involved in. I can’t wait.’ Hearts manager Robbie Neilson admits he is excited to have finally completed the capture of the Liverpool youngster after a long wait. He said: ‘I’m really pleased that we’ve got this one over the line. Ben is a top-class player with Premier League and international experience and he was really eager to join us. ‘He’s an exciting player, one who I think will fit really well into our style of play. He’s quick, direct and can bring us different options in the final third. ‘I’m looking forward to working with him and I hope that he will be a success here at Hearts.’