Elié Youan on Hibs, happiness, learning from his star-studded former team-mates, and causing a surprise in Scotland

He shared a dressing room with some star-studded names in the France youth teams but while some of them have gone on to bigger and better things, Youan isn’t concerned.

“When you play in the national team it’s because you are one of the best young players in your country. That was the case with me,” he says, speaking at Hibs’ summer training camp in Portugal.

“The last six months I didn’t play too much so now I want to show it was no coincidence that I was capped for my country at that level.”

Youan won 23 caps at under-18, under-19, and under-20 level, hitting nine goals on the way. Among his team-mates were Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby, Arsenal midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, Wesley Fofana and Boubakary Soumaré of Leicester, and Aurélien Tchouameni, who recently signed for Real Madrid.

One thing those players have in common is the heights they have reached early in their careers. But Youan insists he can take inspiration from his former team-mates.

“I played with Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool and Boubacar Kamara, who’s at Aston Villa,” he continues.

“It’s a race. Some make it on their first day, for others it can take longer. I’m running my race, now I’m in Scotland and closer to England so maybe the next step will be the Premier League. I don’t have limits – but I can’t wait to play for the Hibees.”

But let’s go back to the start of Youan’s career.

Born to Ivorian parents in April 1999, he signed for hometown club Nantes as an eight-year-old, penning his first professional deal in January 2018 and mostly featuring for the B team.

In September 2020 he was loaned to Swiss side St. Gallen, teaming up with former Hibs forward Florian Kamberi. He played 33 times, scoring five goals and laying on seven more. The