Steve Kean says UEFA Youth League experience is helping build his young Hibs side towards a place at senior level.
The young Hibees are over in France to take on Nantes in the second leg of their second round tie, which they take a 1-0 lead into after a narrow win at Easter Road. Victory would set up a clash with one of Europe's elite clubs but academy director Kean is looking at the bigger picture of it getting them closer to first-team manager Lee Johnson's plans.
Youngster Murray Aiken was on the Hibs bench in the weekend's Easter Road win over St Mirren and the club's youth chief hopes more can mould themselves like Ryan Porteous by going from talented prospect to senior regular. Kean said: "We want to try and win competitions and we want to win tomorrow night - but our job is to produce. The manager put Murray on the bench and he was probably unfortunate not to get on.
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"But that is another step, if you can move from this squad, through the development squad and get yourself on the bench it just takes you a little closer and it shows you that it is real what we are doing.
"We are creating a pathway and these lads are getting closer. If we can get through this tie tonight we could be playing in a playoff against some big, big clubs that would find themselves second in the other side of the draw.
"We are just taking it step by step and have a big game to get through first - but it has been excellent. The whole experience of travelling and training in different countries - that is all part of the process of them feeling like professional players."
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