Frederic Bariilaro, general manager of AS Monaco's youth academy, worked with the young striker for four years – and rates him very highly. The 40-year-old admits that he was sorry to see Pinau finally break into the Monaco side at the end of last season only to quit the club in the summer and move to Italian side Genoa on a five-year deal.

The Serie A side clearly have future plans for the promising hitman and agreed to loan him to Hibs earlier this month on a year-long deal in a bid to give him vital first-team experience. Much has been said about Pinau's arrival and, as a result, expectation levels among the club's supporters are high. However, Bariilaro is confident he has what it takes to make his mark in this country and capitalise on the space he will get in the Scottish game.

And he feels that the more physical nature of the football in Scotland will also help to add bulk and strength to his locker and improve him as an all-round player. He said: "I have worked with Steve for a very long time and I think that he has what is needed to succeed in Scotland.

"But I think that he must develop his muscles potential – that's his main problem right now. It will be good for him to play in a strong and tough championship like there is in Scotland because I think it will improve his game and mean that he will be capable of playing at even higher levels.

"Scotland seems to be a transition step across his career in Italy. I think that they have allowed him to go there because there are tougher, more physical games.

"Steve should become stronger very quickly because of physical confrontations on the pitch and, if he is able to find spaces through his own skill and play, then I think he will settle in rapidly to the Scottish game."

Bariilaro joked that Pinau should find it easy to settle into his new life in Scotland, having already coped with some inclement weather in France.

"It may not really be a big problem for Steve to settle into Scotland as he used to live with the French weather – so the rain will not hurt him," he said.

Monaco had tried to hold on to Pinau but lost out to Genoa in the summer, when they convinced the 20-year-old to move to Italy on a five-year contract. Mixu Paatelainen had travelled to Monaco towards the end of last season to watch Pinau in action, having been tipped off about the striker and having watched footage of him.

He was disappointed when the Frenchman made the move to Italy but heard that Genoa would consider farming him out for a year and was delighted to finally land him. Bariilaro conceded: "Monaco wanted to hold on to Steve and at first offered him a contract of one year which he refused, then came back to him with another offer of a contract for three years but we could not come to a financial agreement with him and Steve chose to free himself instead to go to Italy."

Bariilaro sees similarities between Pinau's game and that of French international Sylvain Wiltord, pictured left. Although keen not to put any more pressures on the young man's shoulders, Bariilaro continued: "Steve is quite similar to the international French player Sylvain Wiltord as he brings movement and percussion through games.

"His main qualities are that he runs fast, as a player he can make an impact through his movement and his strength.

"He's just a young player coming out through Monaco's youth academy and you don't want to put pressure him but I think that his move to Italy and to Scotland proves the potential that he has."