Gerald Taylor doesn't wait around. 

Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison tried to find Manor Solomon with an outside-of-the-boot pass. The connection was weak and the new Heart of Midlothian right-back saw his chance to pounce, intercepting the ball and then motoring forward. Maddison sauntered across to try and get in his road but perhaps sensibly eased out of the way of the charging Costa Rican. Oliver Skipp helped his team-mate and appeared to have snuffed out in danger.

However, Skipp's face told another story frantically checking over his shoulder to see where Taylor was. He was right behind him ready to win the ball back. That drew applause. It grew louder when Skipp simply bounced off Taylor as he attempted to win the ball back for the second time. The right-back delivered a perfect cross to Kyosuke Tagawa, the Japanese striker sending his volley wide.

In the grand scheme of things, the miss mattered little, for the focus was on Taylor. He had won over the Hearts support already. Pace, aggression, strength, positivity, directness. He ticked the boxes.

To reiterate, Gerald Taylor doesn't wait around.

Rewind to earlier in the month. Hearts were in Tenerife undergoing a tough warm-weather training camp. Back in Edinburgh, Taylor had arrived after a long campaign which had only finished a few days previous with an outing against Paraguay in Costa Rica's 2-1 win at the Copa America. It was his 131st game at club and international level since the start of 2022, from Costa Rica's Primera Division to the Central American and Caribbean Games and everything in between.

He would undergo his medical and cross the Ts and dot the Is on a season-long loan from Deportivo Saprissa in his homeland, becoming Hearts' seventh summer signing. Aware of a long season and lack of a break there was an opportunity for Taylor to take some time off. He wasn't interested. He wanted to get going straight away.

The day after Hearts had landed back in Edinburgh, Taylor was in the gym, preparing himself to meet up with the squad and train for the first time as a Hearts player a few days later. He was eager to make a mark.

By last Wednesday night at Tynecastle Park, he had. 

Gerald Taylor had other options than Hearts this summer. There was interest from clubs in South America, Europe and MLS. Wary that an impressive showing at Copa America would alert Mexican clubs, Steven Naismith was keen for the deal to be wrapped up prior to the tournament.

The player and his representatives saw the potential in a move to Edinburgh, aided by Taylor's desire to play in the UK. Doing so would allow the player to experience European football, develop in a different footballing culture and they had the perfect example of Kenneth Vargas to follow. The club's Costa Rican forward provided something of a lowdown on Hearts and helped sell the move to Taylor.

Scotland's capital is a long way from his home in the province of Limon on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It's there, in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca where his football journey started in the Academia de Futbol Talentos del Caribe run by former footballer Elmer Umana. He would go on to play for a local team after graduating from the academy before being spotted by respected scout Quique Vazquez for Deportiva Alajuelense, one of the country's biggest clubs. His stay was only short before moving into the youth ranks of Deportivo Saprissa.

Gerald Taylor at Academia de Fútbol Talentos del Caribe.Gerald Taylor (circled) at Academia de Futbol Talentos del Caribe. (Image: Academia de Fútbol Talentos del Caribe)

Loans would follow through the different levels of the Costa Rican football pyramid. Cariari Pococi and then Uruguay de Coronado. It was later revealed he was close to quitting football and returning home to be with family during his six months in 2021 at Uruguay de Coronado. But the talent and potential Taylor possessed was expressed to him by coaches. By 2022 he was a regular in the Saprissa first team where he had been until his move to Gorgie.

Taylor is one of a raft of young players from his homeland to move abroad. Across the past four years, 10 of the most promising individuals aged 23 or under have made the switch to Europe, players popping up in Belgium, Portugal, England, Greece and further afield.

Taylor was one of 14 of the 26 players Costa Rica took to the Copa America aged 24 or under. 

The player's representative, Carl Gordon, provided an insight into the reason why Saprissa would allow one of their most impressive young stars to move on loan with an option to make the deal permanent further down the line.

"In Costa Rica, first is the development," he told Hearts Standard. "They know Gerald is coming here, his development will be different. For a professional, they know it will be a good growing experience and Saprissa know the product they are sending here.

"Saprissa know he is in the international team and he will be working hard to see if he can get to the World Cup. This deal for Saprissa is developing the player and trying to see if we can get that option to buy.

"It's trying to open that bridge from Costa Rica to Europe. We are trying to promote once more our players to come here and develop our talented players. It is a generational change with an almost new national team. That’s why Costa Rican players are becoming attractive. We just need to make that bridge so they can develop more and we can have a better national team as well."

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Behind the scenes at Tynecastle Park, there are high hopes for the 23-year-old. Those high hopes have been transferred to the club's fan base following his 62-minute showing against Spurs on Wednesday night.

Steven Naismith told Hearts Standard that he expects Taylor to be "hungry" to better himself and to succeed.

"That was a really big thing you could see from Kenneth – he came in, saw there was an opportunity, and took it," he explained. "It wasn’t a case of, ‘Oh, I’ve made it’ and I think it will be a similar feeling from Taylor as well."

The expectation and desire for all parties is for the loan to become permanent. It is, according to Gordon, the "main purpose" and Taylor was "very motivated" to start. Does he see Hearts as the end point? No, he wants to go to the highest level. But that is in the future. The here and now is Hearts.

"In his mind it is to be here, do his best and try to stay," Gordon said. "From Gerald, you will find he is very humble. He likes to talk with all the fans. I tell all the Hearts fans if you see him walking you can just say hello and he will be there, he’s that type of person, he’s open to all the fans. When he started with Saprissa, they are the biggest fans in Costa Rica, it was not easy for him. He was a star there. Now the fans love him."

Taylor has moved into a flat close to Vargas and he will bring his girlfriend across to live with him in Edinburgh, a city he has already developed a fondness for and, slowly but surely, getting the bearing of having done plenty of walking and, of course, he has visited the castle. In time, there are plans to drive but all he knows is driving an automatic. 

As for his English. There is a base level there. Taylor grew up in the Limón Province, the Caribbean side of Costa Rica where there is a "kind of English". There are plans to improve further and become more detailed and add depth to his current language skills.

Gerald Taylor in action against Spurs.Gerald Taylor in action against Spurs. (Image: PA)

"I think it will be a couple of months and he will be giving the interviews," Gordon said. "He understands [the Scottish accent] but sometimes when they go fast he says, ‘Hey, I got lost!’."

On the pitch, fans have already been provided a glimpse of his qualities.

"He is a really promising player who is aggressive – really aggressive," Naismith noted. "He is physical and a really good athlete.

"He has played for the best team in Costa Rica so there has been a bit of a demand there on him, so he has had that part that he has had to deal with. As a player he is aggressive and he has got versatility as well. I think his aggressive nature will definitely help us."

The demand at Hearts is unlikely to impact Taylor negatively. His mindset is that of someone who will go the extra mile and he wants to develop his physique further.

"His mentality, he wants to do the best here," Gordon said. "Gerald knows those fans want to win. He has that in his mind and knows Hearts fans want to win every game. He’ll be working hard to get those things for the fans.

"[At Saprissa] around 20,000 fans for each game. They have this characteristic that they might not be winning the game but until the last minute, you have to try and try and try. It’s the main idea in Saprissa.

"Maybe they are not winning, it is the 88th minute, and within two minutes you go back, Saprissa are winning 2-1. That’s Saprissa. Maybe we are not winning the game but we have to work until the last minute. Gerald has that perspective and will be working the same here."

Gerald Taylor doesn't wait around.