Livingston boss David Martindale believes he has signed a top prospect in USA international Sebastian Soto.
But he knows that talent doesn’t always equal success and the 21-year-old could take time to adapt to the demands of the Scottish Premiership.
Soto, who can play as a central striker or on the wing, has joined on loan for the remainder of the season from English top flight club Norwich City.
With two goals at senior level for the US national team, and Bundesliga experience under his belt from his days at Hannover 96, he has all the attributes to shine in West Lothian.
He may have to wait until Tuesday’s visit of St Johnstone to get his first taste of Scottish football, though, after testing positive for covid-19 upon his arrival at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
Martindale said: “We have options up front but there’s a huge adaptation time. You can see it with Caleb (Chukwuemeka), what he’s got but it’s going to take a spell to get him up to speed.
“I haven’t seen Soto yet but we’ve done all the background work and analysis. Until you see them in your environment and playing in the Premiership, it’s a toss of the coin.
“Very seldom do you recruit someone and he can go straight into the starting XI. You’re hoping he’ll bring something because he was wanted by Chile and he’s scored for the USA.”
The Lions travel to Hibs tomorrow but he admits that may come too soon for the new addition.
He said: “Possibly Saturday, but probably more geared towards Tuesday, we’re going to see what level he’s at because Scottish football’s a lot better than people give it credit for.
“You’ve seen that even with players at the Old Firm over the years – they’ve come and under-estimated the physicality, intensity and aggressiveness of the games.
“That’s the big difference in Scottish football.”
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