How former Man Utd hero helped develop Hibs star

Hibs star signing details how former Manchester United star helped him learn how to shoot.

24-year-old Dylan Vente has been a stand-out figure in the Hibs set up this season, scoring on his debut against Luzern in the Europa Conference League qualifiers. The Dutch star signed during the summer window from Roda JC and hasn’t looked back on the decision which saw him leave home for the first time. Vente arrived at Roda from Feyenoord where he was facing some exceptionally severe competition for game-time.

The young up-and-coming striker had to battle pitch-time with no other than Robin Van Persie, and while Vente has expressed his gratitude for what the Dutch star taught a rising star, Vente knew he would have to leave the safety net of his academy home if he was going to make a name for himself.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Vente detailed: “I was on the bench for two years and I played once in two, three months. And especially when you know Robin van Persie is the striker. You can learn a lot of things from him – but you are not going to play.

“I like Cristiano Ronaldo but Van Persie was one of the biggest players in the Netherlands so when he came ... he had unbelievable touches, his shots, it was crazy. I remember one time I was not playing well, I was just walking down the street and someone was tooting their horn at me. I was looking at the car – it was a big car – and going ‘what do you want’, I didn’t know who it was. But it was Robin, and he was asking ‘why are you angry’. He said to me, ‘come train together with my son tomorrow’, so we did, the three of us. He was such a good trainer, so smart.”

Vente was also asked how the squad is faring under the new management of Nick Montgomery, who is currently undefeated at Hibs: “We know what our formation is,” Vente explains. “We play just one formation and we know we have to do the basics well. We have to play the ball to each other. It sounds easy but normally if you see games here, the defender gets the ball and kicks it long, fight for it and maybe you will score. But the trainer wants us to have the power, that we have the feeling we can win the game because we are on the ball. It’s all planned. I like that – and I think in this league, it can work.”

It will be a busy few weeks for Hibs coming up. A trip to Ibrox to take on Rangers next weekend is followed by the visit of Celtic and then a Viaplay Cup semi-final against Aberdeen. Vente enjoyed his first Edinburgh derby too, a draw against Hearts at the start of the month but is looking forward to achieving more. “I liked the derby, the atmosphere was great, a crazy game,” he admits. “In the end 2-2 was a good result but we wanted more. Playing Rangers. Celtic, semi-finals, as footballers those are the games you want. As a team we need to show ourselves at this level.”

The 24-year-old forward is statistically one of the hardest workers in the league but continues to look for ways to improve. When asked about his trojan-like work ethic, the striker said:  “I think it comes naturally. I like to run a lot. It gives me more power and a feeling that I am in the game. If I do nothing and don’t run, I get the feeling that I am not involved. As a striker you don’t get that many balls, but the balls you get, you have to be sharp. But if you run too much, you can be too tired when the ball gets to you. Maybe I have to find a way to not do too much work, but in the end, for the team it helps.”