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Socceroo youngster Nathaniel Atkinson has hailed Scottish football as an ideal launch-pad for Australia's next generation of talent to forge European careers.
Socceroos fullback Nathaniel Atkinson firmly believes a new generation of Australian talent has the perfect launch-pad for European careers in Scotland.
Ex-Melbourne City defender Atkinson, 22, moved to Edinburgh-based Hearts in January and has made an instant impact in his first few months as the Jambos finished third behind Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers.
With fellow Australian Cameron Devlin also at Tynecastle, the pair will be joined by another Socceroo in Kye Rowles next season after the 23-year-old centre-back's move from Central Coast on a three-year deal was confirmed on Thursday.
Another former Mariner, fullback Lewis Miller, is also joining cross-town rivals Hibernian.
With Ange Postecoglou having coached Celtic to the title in his first season with the club, Atkinson says life is good for Australian footballers in Scotland.
"It's always a bonus when a team obviously wants to buy you and bring you over instead of just going over there and trying to find a club and start your journey there," Atkinson told AAP.
"I've always said this before, that we've always got the talent in Australia. It's just the pathways and I mean, obviously coming from Tasmania, it was a long, long road to get to where I am today.
"With where the A-League is at the moment, there's a lot of young players coming through and teams are always going to be looking at the more youthful players than the older players Australia's producing at the moment.
"If we keep playing well it's going to open the door for other Australians."
Australians making their way in Scottish football has a long history, from Craig Moore and Tony Vidmar at Rangers through to Scott McDonald and Mark Viduka at Celtic.
Even current Socceroos Jackson Irvine and Aaron Mooy spent formative parts of their careers in the country.
Rowles, who made his first competitive start for Australia in Tuesday's (Weds AEST) 2-1 play-off win over the United Arab Emirates in Qatar, is excited to become the latest to join that list.
"The Scottish league is definitely very attractive to Australian boys that want to take that next step and really test themselves out over in a European country," Rowles told AAP.
"There's plenty of opportunity.
"There's a few of us boys headed over there and hopefully we can pave the way for more younger Aussies as well.
"It's definitely going to be a culture change and the level is going to be a lot higher but I'm just excited for a new challenge, and I can't wait to get started."
