QUICK quiz question: Which Premiership club has this summer signed six full internationals?
The answer happened to be the team which wasn’t even in the league for the last three seasons and who over the past few weeks has assembled a squad which screams top six finish.
Hibernian’s half dozen of united nations are Steven Whittaker (Scotland), Anthony Stokes (Ireland), Efe Ambrose (Nigeria), Ofir Marciano (Israel) Deivyadas Matulevicius and Vykintas Slivka (both Lithuania).
That’s a lot of experience there, a good mixture of foreign talent with more than a decent pedigree and players who know the Scottish football both inside and out.
John McGinn remains, for the moment, at Easter Road. Simon Murray, signed from Dundee United, has scored seven goals in four Betfred Cup games and Danny Swanson, who agreed a move to the club he supports last season, is one of the league’s more exciting talents.
All of a sudden, Hibs look in seriously good fettle. The home league opener on Saturday against Partick Thistle is live on television and yet is heading for a sell-out. They topped their League Cup group. It’s Ayr United at home in the last 16. Things are looking good for Leith’s finest.
Neil Lennon, the Hibernian manager, knows what he’s doing. He gets the club, likes the people he works with and while he doesn’t need to prove any point, it’s in his nature to go out there and prove a point or ten with his promoted team.
On paper, where more or less everyone is judged for the moment, Hibs have the fourth best squad in the country, and that’s maybe doing them a disservice. We will find out soon enough.
Charlie Mulgrew, in a recent interview, spoke of Lennon’s man-management skills and the way his former boss at Celtic could make anyone feel ten feet tall. You will be hard pushed to find a professional footballer who doesn’t want to be loved.
So Lennon has good players, a system which works for him, the personality and standing that will deflect heat away from the dressing room through the inevitable rough patches and is scary enough – take it from me – to command respect.
It’s a potent combination.
Take the signing of Slivika, signed by Juventus four years ago,when at 18 was considered to be Lithuania’s best young prospect.
He didn’t play for the Old Lady of Turin but did get the chance to train alongside the likes of Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo, an experience he compared to stepping into his television set.
Does this guarantee him success in Scotland? Of course not. But the midfielder enjoys a history few others in the Premiership would be able to match. You’d give him a chance.
Slivika said: “Life was good at Juventus. The weather was great. They are a top club with amazing facilities, a great coach and great players, so they give you everything you need to grow and improve.
“As a midfielder, it gave me the chance to train with some of the best players in the world in that position like [Paul] Pogba and [Andrea] Pirlo.
“It is a special experience for such a young guy. One moment you see these guys on TV, then you are on a training pitch with them – trying to learn all of their secrets.
“But I tried not to be intimidated, as we are all playing the same game and trying to do the same things on the football pitch.
“Pirlo was just as laid back and relaxed as everyone thinks He runs when he has to, but no more. But that is because he has the confidence and the quality to play like that.
“He was a really classy man. You could always ask for advice and speak to him and he would give you his time.
“Pogba was so funny, he would always have a smile and a joke. But, even with that, you could see he was an unbelievable talent from the beginning. No-one would bet that someone would buy him for £90 million, but you could see he was going to do something very big in football.
“They would do extra after training and work on their technique whenever possible. I watched what they did and tried to learn from it.
“It was a great grounding at Juventus but now I want to make a name for myself in Scotland, play a lot and do well for Hibs.”
Boasting 19 caps for Lithuania, Slivka has been joined by his compatriot Matulevicius at Easter Road, whose own CV might not be as stellar but as a big frontman who brings people into play is exactly what Lennon was looking for.
Slivika said: “Deivydas is a strong striker. He is very good in the box and I am sure that he can score a lot of goals for the club. He is good in the air and I would say he is ideal for British football.”
The supporters of Hibernian are allowed to be excited.
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