Newcastle United-bound Garang Kuol has been labelled an "excitement machine" and backed to make an impact at the World Cup with Australia ahead of his Tyneside switch.

The 18-year-old is the youngest member of the Australian squad and is likely to have to settle for a spot among the substitutes, but his teammate Mitchell Duke says he can provide the "X-factor" from the bench.

Kuol is yet to start an A-League game but the "wonderful kid" has turned head in his homeland thanks to his cameos for the Central Coast Mariners.

He's joining Newcastle in January when he's expected to initially be sent out on loan.
But first comes the World Cup in Qatar, and Kuol's impressed Australia teammates believe the teenager can show his class on the biggest stage.

"He's a real X-factor, he's an excitement machine," Kuol's teammate Mitchell Duke told The West Australian.

"To see some of the stuff he's doing at such a young age consistently, I know he's not started a game, but he's consistently doing his performances off the bench. And that's all you can ask of him - when he plays, he does a job.

"So for us, against the teams that we're playing against, to have that X-factor is a huge plus. He definitely can flip a game on its head.

"You see some of the Mariners games where they're 2-0 down, he's coming on, equalising the game with two goals or two assists, or he's creating something and that's going to be massive for us, especially in such a big tournament."

Fellow teammate Thomas Deng echoed Duke's praise.

"He's just a wonderful kid," said Deng of Kuol.

"He's full of confidence and he's come in here and everyone loves him, everyone gets along with him.

"To experience a World Cup at 18 years old, it's definitely going to better his career. He has a really bright future."