Young Newcastle United signing Garang Kuol knows he must work hard if he is to emulate his idol Kylian Mbappe.

The young Australian made his debut at the World Cup, but was on the losing side as France beat the Socceroos 4-1 in their opening group stage game.

The highly sought after 18-year-old Kuol came off the bench in the 73rd minute of the contest, but could not make much of an impact.

"You could see the level that they're at," Kuol told YahooSport afterwards.

"They're 6ft 4in people who are as quick as me, so there was a big difference between me and some of those players.

"Only hard work will get me to that level. I think it was a good taste to see the level the players are at.

“Some play in the Premier League, some play in the Champions League, so it was good to get that taste of the level."