"Best by a country mile": The football IQ factor behind Elie Youan's rapid improvement for Hibs

Lee Johnson believes Elie Youan has taken his game up a level after lauding the French forward’s rapid improvement since returning from the World Cup break.

The 23-year-old on loan from St Gallen claimed assists for both headed goals by Kyle Magennis and again came close to scoring himself in an eye-catching display on the left wing against Livingston on Christmas Eve. His second consecutive start after a long spell on the bench was described as “absolutely outstanding” by Johnson, who also singled out Magennis and Ryan Porteous for special praise.

Youan, who has scored just once since arriving at the club in the summer, declared last week that Hibs fans are about the see “the real me” following the work he has been doing on the training ground with Johnson during the break. The manager can now see the evidence of that on the pitch.

“I thought that was his best game for us by a country mile,” declared Johnson. “He looked very confident.” The Hibs boss puts Youan’s improvement down to a combination better positioning and awareness.

Hibs forward Elie Youan salutes the fans at full time on Christmas Eve after two assists in the 4-0 victory over Livingston at Easter Road. Picture: Paul Devlin / SNS

“We’ve been working our socks off with him in terms of the organisation,” he explained. “Obviously, he’s rapid, he’s got good feet and he can repeatedly sprint. But there are other parts of his game he’s got to bump it. It’s seeing the game develop, it’s that football IQ – mainly off the ball. If we don’t get off the ball right then on the ball is irrelevant.

“Against Rangers I thought the did it really well. People might not have thought he had a brilliant game but I’m watching the team shuffles and the positions they’re in, where I’ve asked them to be and where they then receive it on the counter-attack. He did that really well.

“Livingston was a slightly different game. We asked Lewis Stevenson to be almost an inverted full-back, which left Elie on the outside. I like Livingston’s right-back [Nicky Devlin]. He’s a good player and quick; he trusts his pace. But Elie got the better of him from minute one, really. In the first action of the game he went down the outside.”