Robbie Neilson hails ‘exciting’ signing as Yutaro Oda joins Hearts

Yutaro Oda highlighted the attributes he will bring to Hearts after signing a three-and-a-half-year deal for the Gorgie club from J.League side Vissel Kobe.

The versatile 21-year-old attacker could be in line for a Jambos debut against St Mirren at Tynecastle on Friday night and he is looking forward to showcasing his talents.

Oda, who arrived for an undisclosed fee, follows defender James Hill in joining Hearts this week and the Japan Under-21 player told the official club website: “I have been looking for a challenge, so this is a great club for me to come to.

“I am really looking forward to showing the fans what I can do. As a player, I see myself as a very speedy and sharp player. I am also good at dribbling and with the ball at my feet.

“When I had my meeting with Hearts, it was clear that they had done their research on me. To me, that shows that they really wanted to sign me, and that they are keen to help me develop further as a player.”

Boss Robbie Neilson believes he has recruited exciting potential in Oda.

He said: “I’m really pleased to get Yutaro in as our next signing of this window.

“He’s got a lot of great attributes but the exciting thing is that he’s still young and there will be more to come from him, so we’ve got a huge part to play in developing him.

“He’s very quick, very direct and technically very good. He’ll bring a lot to the team and we’re all looking forward to working with him.”

Sporting director Joe Savage said: “We’ve made no secret of our willingness to focus on markets across the world in an effort to identify talent and value for money.

“In Yutaro, we feel we’ve got both of those things. He is someone we had been looking at for a while and, thankfully, all the pieces fell into place to allow us to bring him to the club.

“Yutaro has all the qualities to be a hit in maroon and I’m sure our fans are looking forward to seeing him light up the Tynecastle pitch.”