'Still not at my best' - Élie Youan fires warning to other clubs as Hibs talisman explains change in approach

That could turn out to be good news for the Easter Road side as they target European football, and worrisome for defences due to face his electric pace and eye for goal in the remaining four matches. A far cry from the player who, in the early part of the season, struggled to find the net. What changed? Youan believes it was his approach to training and also games – something for which he credits Lee Johnson.

“I had to change my game, and now I feel good. But I am still not at my best. I had to learn a different way to play here. It's really physical in Scotland, but now I am enjoying every game. The gaffer always says to me, 'switch on.' He loves this phrase! But I have a good relationship with him and I have learned a lot with him. He has tried to keep me focused and to concentrate on every ball. I don't think he has changed the way I play, just the way I see the game and the opposition on the pitch.”

If you were to highlight one criticism of Youan’s all-round game it might be his weakness in defending. Possibly not after Saturday’s performance, in which he spent nearly as much time tracking back and helping out Lewis Stevenson on the left flank. Johnson is a big believer in linking players and against St Mirren he got precisely that with his left-sided duo.

"I use more energy in defending than in attacking, but I am happy because it is for the good of the team,” Youan continues. “The team comes first. The most important thing was the win for the team. I try to give my best every week, and if there is a possibility for me to learn how to defend more, it's good for my game.”

Youan has so far this season spent 2,278 league minutes on the pitch; the most of his career to date. If he plays every minute of the remaining four matches then he will have doubled his total gametime from his last season with parent side St. Gallen; a campaign that ended with him joining Belgian side KV Mechelen on loan where he would play just 34 minutes across four games. There were rumours of a falling-out with the St. Gallen boss. His arrival in Edinburgh last summer wasn’t met with universal acclaim but there were comparisons made with the last player Hibs sourced from the Switzerland, with the reasoning that if Youan had outscored Florian Kamberi in the Swiss Super League then he might be alright.

It would be fair to call Youan an enigmatic figure. His first goal for the club – the consolation strike in the 6-1 drubbing at Celtic Park in October – saw him somewhat misguidedly celebrate with the ‘shushing’ gesture. By the time he scored his second, in the 6-0 win against Aberdeen in January, he had swapped it for his now trademark ‘sleep’ celebration, which has a laughably simple explanation in that the 24-year-old just loves a bit of shut-eye

Perhaps it is his laid-back persona off the pitch that allows him to come alive on it, that ability to compartmentalise his life. Horizontal away from the pitch, high-octane on the pitch; the type of player to get fans out of their seats. He concedes that Johnson and the coaching staff are right to tell him to ‘switch on’ as much as they do.

"The manager is right to ask me to switch on and it's not only the gaffer. All the staff tell me to switch on, always,’ he says. “Sometimes I am away. I don't know how to explain it, but sometimes my head is in the clouds.”

His head didn’t seem to be in the clouds on Saturday – perhaps that’s one aspect of his game that he has adapted; that ability to influence matches more. Discussing Youan’s all-action performance against St Mirren, Johnson admitted: “If he could put it all together we wouldn’t have him!”

But yet the manager appeared to drop a hint about signing Youan on a permanent contract. Hibs have a buyout clause in the contract and most supporters are desperate for the club to activate said clause sooner rather than later. When asked about his future, the former Nantes youngster is matter-of-fact.

"I am just thinking on the next four games. We can have a discussion about this at the end of the season. I just try to improve every week in games and training. I am just happy to play football.”

It could be that his goals help fire Hibs to European football. His experience of continental competition so far amounts to a 16-minute substitute appearance for St. Gallen in a 1-0 defeat by AEK Athens in September 2020. He could well have a more prominent role to play should Hibs get there and he turns his temporary stay in Scotland into something more permanent.

“It's always good to play European football. If you want to play at a high level then you have to play in Europe and I want to reach this target with Hibs. We have four games to do it, and I am focused on the next four games.”

The way things are going, Hibs can help Youan achieve his goals and he can do the same for Hibs. A permanent deal would be great business – after all, the player is on an upward trajectory and if there is still room for improvement, could be a frightening prospect once he is truly at his best.