Elie Youan: Hibs complete the signing of young French striker

Hibs have signed French striker Elie Youan on a one-year loan deal.

The 23-year-old arrives in Scotland following stints in France, Belgium and Switzerland and will add extra speed in attack.

Signed from Swiss club FC St Gallen, he was formerly on the books at FC Nantes in his homeland and Belgian Jupiler Pro League side KV Mechelen.

A French age group international, representing his country at U-18, U-19 and U-20 level, is seen as the ideal fit for new manager Lee Johnson’s side as Hibs look to bounce back from a disappointing season. Brought in to stretch opposition sides, he can spearhead the frontline or pose a threat from the left-hand side of a front three.

If he impresses, Hibs have the option to buy.

“We are excited to welcome Élie to Hibs and we are glad he chose us out of numerous clubs who were interested in him,” said the Hibs boss.

“Élie is a very versatile forward player with excellent speed and dynamism.

“His attributes will enable us to stretch the game and allow us to open up space for our technically-gifted midfield players.”

Head of Recruitment Ian Gordon added: “We are excited to add a player of Youan’s ability to our squad. He has proven he can score goals across different European leagues and we are confident that he will continue to succeed in Scotland.

“Both his pace and his natural goal-scoring ability impressed us and he will give us another option to use in the forward areas.”

Youan follows Aiden McGeady in the door and both will now join the squad on their pre-season trip to Portugal.