Hibs striker Élie Youan backed by Lee Johnson to take confidence from goal against Celtic

Hibs manager Lee Johnson has backed Élie Youan to take confidence from the strike against Celtic that ended his barren spell in front of goal.

The on-loan St. Gallen striker was introduced as a half-time replacement for Harry McKirdy and opened his account for the Easter Road side ten minutes after coming on as he connected with Martin Boyle’s perfectly-timed pass and hit a first-time effort past Joe Hart at the near post.

Youan managed three assists in his first four league games for Hibs but hadn’t found the net in his first ten matches for Hibs. Now, his manager is hopeful that the former Nantes youngster and Boyle can maintain their partnership in the coming weeks and months, having already combined for goals against Hearts and Rangers already this season.

"It was a really good goal and I think it will do wonders for his confidence. It came in our decent little spell; we actually had five or six shots I think in that 15-minute period where we got a bit braver,” Johnson said, as he reflected on Saturday’s chastening defeat at Celtic Park.

"We couldn't sustain it, because the game opened up and Celtic's quality shone through, but I'd rather see that so that the next time we play them we have the challenge of making those spells longer.

"But it will be good for him. Élie and Martin Boyle have interlinked quite a few times now in games, to varied success, but there have been a couple of nice goals and nice moves on the back of that so it was nice for Boyle to return the favour for Élie."