It’s all a bit doom and gloom around Tynecastle right now, but if anything, recent Hearts recruit Ryotaro Meshino looks like a great signing.
He made a substitute appearance against Motherwell and sparked a Jambos fightback. He had a part to play in both goals, but it wasn’t enough. Hearts eventually fell to a 3-2 defeat.
A brilliant display. (Photo by Ewan Bootman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Meshino can’t be faulted for his efforts though.
Meshino is a creative Hearts outlet
Hearts looked pretty slow throughout the match prior to Meshino’s introduction. Motherwell had adapted and became comfortable with this, so it was a culture shock when Meshino appeared.
He was running at the defence with pace, putting the Well on the backfoot straight away with a driving run towards their box.
A creative star. (Photo by Ewan Bootman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Japanese attacker had a part to play in Uche Ikpeazu’s first of the season. He picked up the ball outside the area and sent Peter Hartley to the floor with a nice turn, with his shot eventually turned into the net by his teammate following a smart Mark Gillespie save.
His second was a cracker, turning Liam Donnelly inside-out before firing a shot from outside the area into the bottom corner. It was clear from his moments of brilliance that his footwork is the strongest part of his game
It was an exciting display that won’t get the credit it deserves following a dismal Hearts performance overall. If this was a sign of things to come, Meshino could be a source of inspiration at Tynecastle over the course of this season