Why Lee Johnson didn't call on Hibs kids last season as he hints at plans for Marbella quartet

‘If they’re good enough, they’re old enough’ was for many years the logic applied to the age-old question of whether or not to pitch youngsters into a senior football side but the game has come a long way since clubs threw in the kids and asked questions later.

The rise in research along with increased knowledge and understanding of maturation and psychology in sportsmen and women means clubs are no longer prepared to throw a jersey at a teenager and hope for the best. That’s not to say it never happens, but those that do burst onto the scene at a tender age tend to have done so for a reason.

During Hibs’ struggles last season, there were repeated calls from the fanbase to give the youngsters a chance; the situation exacerbated by the performance of the club’s under-19s in European competition and second-string matches. But it’s one thing coming up against other 17-year-olds in a youth game compared to trying to get the better of a battle-hardened 33-year-old who cares not for the precocious youth trying to get one over on them.

Lee Johnson revealed in the wake of Thursday afternoon’s 4-0 friendly defeat by Bournemouth in the Spanish sun that 17-year-old midfielder Jacob MacIntyre – deployed as an auxiliary left-back – told him he had ‘never played against a team that good’.

Lee Johnson has predicted that there could be debuts for some of Hibs' talented youngsters this season. Picture: Paul Devlin / SNS Group

"Playing against these teams helps expand your knowledge and develop as a player,” the manager explained. But things are in a better place already this season. Some smart recruitment has already been completed, and players and coaching staff have spoken favourably of the training camp and its benefits.

Four young players travelled with the senior squad to Marbella – MacIntyre joined by Reuben McAllister, Kanayo Megwa, and Rudi Molotnikov – and Johnson reckons ‘one or two of them’ could make their senior debut this season, as he offered an explanation for why he hadn’t called upon the talented crop of younger players last year.

"I’m super keen to bring the young players through,” he explained. “They have to be good enough, but I always think a young player is better bedded into a good team with good experience and a good blend around them. I truly believe that one or two of them will make their debut this season and have influence. Attitude is absolutely key; they have to be curious; application has to be on point because they’ve got the talent,” Johnson added.

Supporters always want to see their own club’s academy products grace the first team. ‘He’s one of our own, he’s one of our own’, as goes the popular fan chant. But football grounds can be volatile places when things aren’t going to plan and managers not only have to think about results on the pitch and team spirit, they also have a duty of care to the younger members of the squad on a personal and professional level. Someone like Joe Newell or Paul Hanlon will have the experience to be able to block out abuse from the stands, but would a younger player trying to carve out a successful career be able to do likewise?

Rudi Molotnikov, Reuben McAllister, and Jacob MacIntyre all impressed during the Marbella training camp. Picture: SNS Group

Hibs have already sent Murray Aiken and Josh O’Connor on loan to Airdrie while Dylan Tait is at Hamilton, and Murray Johnson and Kyle McClelland are at Queen of the South. The hope is that the quintet gain valuable senior SPFL experience and come back better players. And Johnson hinted that there could be more loan movement in January.

“The pathway doesn’t work in the way that you come on the pre-season trip, you step into the games, and then you go and play in the first team,” he explained. “Sometimes there’s a step before that – we’ve got some very good players out on loan this season who we’ve primed to be able to come back next year – so depending on their levels and the area of their development, it may be that they play a couple of games with the first team and then in January they go out on loan. It’s quite exciting and we love to see young players coming through – particularly ones with green blood,” he added.

Johnson was able to have a good look at the four teenagers in Spain – MacIntyre, McAllister, and Molotnikov are still just 17, while Megwa is slightly older at 19 – and will have gained an insight into what they can bring to his first-team squad this season. Megwa has already been challenged to battle hard with Lewis Miller for the right-back berth in Chris Cadden’s absence through injury and that trust from the manager could bring out the best in Megwa, who is yet to make his senior competitive debut in green and white.

"We’re a club that wants to give opportunities to young players; there were four or five out in Spain with us who have come through the academy. There’s some real experience in our group and if I was a young player I would be doing everything I could to learn from them because of the careers they have had,” Johnson continued.

Kanayo Megwa has been challenged to fight with Lewis Miller for the right-back berth. Picture: Paul Devlin / SNS Group

"We are trying to blend new players as well as implementing the plan and the game model to the younger players. The academy has done a great job with those guys so the balance of work is absolutely key because you need to push the boundaries to build the athlete in terms of fitness; we need the concentration and control and calm to implement the tactical work on the grass and in the analysis room, and the boys have to be fresh enough to go and perform as well.”

After a challenging season last year, it is starting to look like Hibs have a structure in place to improve the first-team squad and be able to give youngsters a chance – if they’re good enough, of course.