Nohan Kenneh is eager to prove himself in the Scottish Premiership after leaving Leeds United to join up with Hibernian on a free transfer. The defender joined Lee Johnson’s side earlier this summer following the expiry of his contract at Elland Road, where despite featuring on the bench with regularity last season, he never made a first-team appearance.
Kenneh was a key feature in the club’s under-23s ranks, making 28 appearances in all competitions and scoring one goal. However, at the age of 19, he is ready to take the next step in his career and he believes he can do that in a green and white shirt at Easter Road.
“I’d been at Leeds since I was 11 and it was a hard decision to leave,” Kenneh said, as per Football Scotland. “But I felt like I wanted to play first-team football, that was my main aim.
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“Hibs were offering me that and I felt it was the best move for me. It was my decision to leave. I think the time was right for me for my development. It wasn’t good for me to be playing under-23s football. I needed to prove myself to people.
“There are a few Scottish boys at Leeds. Their skipper is Liam Cooper, and when I told him about the move, he said he knew some of the boys who had been at Hibs like Paul McGinn.
“He told me it would be brilliant, to just play my game and prove myself.”
Of course, the Scottish Premiership varies greatly from the Premier League 2 in terms of intensity and physicality, but Kenneh believes the work he did under Marcelo Bielsa has prepared him for the rigours of the top flight north of the border.
“Marcelo Bielsa was massive for me," he added. “His style of play is different to every other manager. His attention to detail was good too.
“And I felt he improved me massively tactically. He had a translator at Leeds, but he could speak a bit of English. He could say some things, but everyone knew his game plan and they all adapted to it, which was good.
“Everyone knows about his ‘Murderball’ training. It was one of the toughest ever. It’s like a mini-sided game, the coaches stand around the pitch and every time the ball goes out another ball goes back in. There are no fouls or offsides and everyone is just fouling each other.
“It’s hard, but obviously it helps your fitness because when you’re playing a proper game it feels easier.”
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