Steve Kean looks at two players named in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad yesterday and holds them up as perfect examples for the Hibs youngsters currently under his charge.
Easter Road favourite Ryan Porteous and Norwich City skipper Grant Hanley. The former is the most recent proof that the pathway from Hibs academy to Scotland honours really does exist. And the latter remains the best example he has ever known of what he reckons is the dying art of defending. Hibs Academy Director Kean is in Norway with his U19 side for this afternoon’s first leg of their UEFA Youth League first round clash with Molde.
And he is serious when he says a number of his squad are on the verge of breaking through to Lee Johnson’s first team and taking the next step on a dream career just like Porteous five years ago. Kean said: “You've got Ryan and you've got Josh Campbell who, not too long ago were Hibs academy players.
"Then there's Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon who were academy players a long time ago! Certainly in Ryan and Josh we see two players who were playing in youth tournaments not that long ago so a great example for Jacob Blaney and Kanayo Megwa as centre-backs.
"Then there's Owen Hastie who can look at Josh sometimes playing out of position at full-back. These first-team players who have come through our system are great role models for us pushing the academy players to get up and alongside them in the senior squad."
It was Kean who made Grant Hanley a Premier League player at Blackburn almost 12 years ago, throwing the then raw 19-year-old in for a run of games that saw him become an ever-present at Ewood Park and captain by the age of 23.
And he said: "Grant's had a great career and he's someone I mention whenever I'm speaking to someone about defending. I think it's a dying art. People talk about centre-backs stepping out from the back, breaking lines, and making passes.
"Grant loves defending. When we used to have him in the team or doing sessions he had a real appetite to be in a duel and that one-v-one, making sure no one got past him.
"I think he's gone on to show at a very high level for both club and country that as a defender - there may be other players who are better with the ball at their feet - but he's someone who loves blocking the ball, making tackles, getting headers in; what I would call the basics of top defending. He has that in abundance."
Hibs are without the injured Ethan Laidlaw for this afternoon’s clash in Norway but Kean is confident they can get a result ahead of the second leg at Easter Road next month. Molde are bursting with talent that already have plenty of top team experience such as Niklas Odegard and Johan Bakke.
But Kean said: “We want to get through but we are also thinking about the players’ individual development. It’s something we pride ourselves on. We have brought so many people through the academy who have become names, got into the first team and then we’ve sold them.
“So I will always think that if we can get the pathway correct inside the club to make sure the special ones, the two or three with an exceptional chance, can quickly see there’s a way through for them. We’ve been fortunate that some of these lads have been on the bench for the first team at the tail end of last season. They feel as though it’s within touching distance.
“So if they can do well in this competition and show they can compete against top calibre young players then it’s a win-win. They will have the experience of this tournament and can show they are ready to step into the first team. A few of them are really close in my opinion.”
With Johnson taking a keen interest the door to the top team is well and truly open for Kean’s kids. He said: “Lee’s very pro-youth and a lot of them have trained with the first team.
"Two days ago we had a practice match and a lot of the lads played in that match because the first-team game was cancelled, so the manager has brought them up and had some of them on the bench. Oscar MacIntyre for pretty much the last three weeks has been training with the first team so there are plenty of opportunities.
"It's great that we have that open dialogue and are able to get players up to the first-team squad and in and around it. Hopefully they can break fully in and stay in the team."
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