Gent manager Rik De Mil has backed Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli to succeed in his new role.
De Mil's team, Gent, is set to face Hibernian in the UEFA Conference League play-offs. They will play the first leg on Thursday, with the return match at Easter Road next week.
A place in the league phase is at stake. De Mil has described David Gray's Edinburgh side as the strongest opponents his team has faced this season.
He has praised Pocognoli, who was recently appointed to lead Scotland, for his previous work at Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco. De Mil said: "He’s a very good coach. He did very well here in Union. He’s a young coach.
"He’s somebody that, in his communication, is really direct. He’s close to his players also.
"He has his really typical style of playing, but it’s especially in the communication that I heard about him, in terms of how he works with his group, how the players like him in his communication and being honest, being direct.
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"So I think you made a good choice. I think when you take a Belgian guy, it’s always a good choice."
Pocognoli is known for his flexible style, operating with a back five and switching between a counter-attacking approach and a more assertive style. De Mil said: "In Union, it was his first real head coaching job there.
"But he developed that team also into a dominant team, playing higher on the pitch. You saw this development with him also, and I think he learned new things also in Monaco.
"As a young coach, you need to do different things to get that experience, and I think he’s at the level now to take this challenge now in Scotland with the experience he has.
"So I think it’s going to be okay."
