Élie Youan on Hibs, happiness, learning from his star-studded former team-mates, and causing a surprise in Scotland

Football is a race, according to Hibs striker Élie Youan, but not in the conventional sense. There is no outright winner; players reach the finish line at different points according to the route their career takes.

Élie Youan is ready to show what he can do for Hibs

He shared a dressing room with some star-studded names in the France youth teams but while some of them have gone on to bigger and better things, Youan isn’t concerned.

“When you play in the national team it’s because you are one of the best young players in your country. That was the case with me,” he says, speaking at Hibs’ summer training camp in Portugal.

“The last six months I didn’t play too much so now I want to show it was no coincidence that I was capped for my country at that level.”

Youan won 23 caps at under-18, under-19, and under-20 level, hitting nine goals on the way. Among his team-mates were Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby, Arsenal midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, Wesley Fofana and Boubakary Soumaré of Leicester, and Aurélien Tchouameni, who recently signed for Real Madrid.

One thing those players have in common is the heights they have reached early in their careers. But Youan insists he can take inspiration from his former team-mates.

“I played with Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool and Boubacar Kamara, who’s at Aston Villa,” he continues.

Youan: "The manager Lee Johnson has shown me what he expects of me and I think I will be able to show my talent."

“It’s a race. Some make it on their first day, for others it can take longer. I’m running my race, now I’m in Scotland and closer to England so maybe the next step will be the Premier League. I don’t have limits – but I can’t wait to play for the Hibees.”

But let’s go back to the start of Youan’s career.

Born to Ivorian parents in April 1999, he signed for hometown club Nantes as an eight-year-old, penning his first professional deal in January 2018 and mostly featuring for the B team.

Youan has played alongside current Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate and Aston Villa's Boubacar Kamara

In September 2020 he was loaned to Swiss side St. Gallen, teaming up with former Hibs forward Florian Kamberi. He played 33 times, scoring five goals and laying on seven more. The pick of his performances was during a 5-0 victory over Lausanne-Sport, with Youan scoring twice and setting up two in four minutes for strike partner Junior Adamu.

It was enough for St. Gallen to make the move permanent. Was it a wrench leaving Nantes after so many years?

“I was prepared, but it was still difficult as it was the first time I left Nantes. I’d been there since I was a kid,” Youan says.

"But if you want to be a great player you have to leave your comfort zone. When you like playing football, when you are happy, you can show your best and that was the case for me.”

Youan netted against Burton Albion in pre-season

Youan picked up where he had left off in Switzerland, playing 20 times and contributing seven goals and four assists – all the more impressive considering the bulk of his games came on the left flank.

Then, suddenly, after a 30-minute substitute appearance on the penultimate day of January in a 5-1 win at Lausanne-Sport, he was loaned to KV Mechelen in Belgium. His time in Antwerp wasn’t much to write home about: four substitute appearances, no goals.

When he speaks about St. Gallen, he appears to have shut the door on a return, despite only being on loan at Hibs.

“It was the end of the story. I gave my best there but now I want a new challenge, a new chapter, and Hibs is the best place for that,” Youan explains.

“I’m a striker but I played a lot as a midfielder, or on the left – but I still scored a lot of goals and helped the team.

"I had a good relationship with Peter Zeidler the manager. He was like a father to me, helped me a lot and I want to thank him for that.

“Now I am here to work with Lee Johnson and I’m happy with that.”

Youan will be played as a striker at Hibs, and Johnson has already explained what he wants from the 23-year-old.

“I’ve got a good feeling. The training has been great and I’m really happy to be here,” he says, smiling in the Iberian sun.

“When I knew Hibs were interested I was happy to make the move. The manager has told me what he expects of me. Scoring goals is the main job of the striker and if I can show everybody who I am, I’ll be happy.”

Youan talks a lot about happiness. You get the feeling that if Hibs can keep him smiling they should reap the benefits.

He has a good idea what to expect from Scottish football, and is aware of Franck Sauzee and his place in the pantheon of Hibs greats – ‘I know he played here, someone told me he was a hero’.

He looks to Uruguay striker Edison Cavani and Didier Drogba, who also hails from the Ivory Coast, for inspiration.

"I like strikers but I watch every player, because last year I played midfield so I was watching Paul Pogba. You have to learn from every player – even goalkeepers,” Youan adds.

The exploits of Mousse Dembele and Olivier Ntcham at Celtic in seasons past are fresh in his mind as he opens up on the decision to say ‘oui’ to Hibs.

“They are only a year or two older than me and Moussa’s best friend is Roli Pereira, who I was with at Nantes,” he continues.

"Pereira told me coming to Scotland was the best solution, that I would do good things here, and that it’s the best place to show my strengths.

“Some people told me Scottish football is hard, physical. But I’m ready because since I was a kid, that’s how I’ve played.

“Maybe this year there can be a surprise? Maybe we can win against Celtic or Rangers. Anything can happen,” he says, with a small grin.