NEW Hibs forward Steven Pinau believes he will settle so quickly into Scottish football that he can score more goals for the club than his manager, Mixu Paatelainen.
The 20-year-old Frenchman has agreed a one-year loan deal from Serie A outfit Genoa and could yet make his competitive bow against Falkirk today, with Hibs seeking to secure international clearance last night.
Pinau comes with a strong pedigree an
d Paatelainen has been tracking him since April when he sought to bring him on loan from his ex-club Monaco, after taking the advice of Hibs luminary Franck Sauzee.
His move to Genoa on a five-year contract looked to have ended his chances, but the Italians have now farmed him out following his pre-season trial in Edinburgh.
Paatelainen's goals made him a cult hero at his former teams, especially at Easter Road where he netted 40 times during two spells. But Pinau, a confident, quick individual who can play through the middle or on the flanks, hopes to chase down his goal tally in an environment he believes he will thrive in.
He said: "My early impressions are good, it's very technical here. But it's different from France and Italy. Here there is more energy and it's aggressive. France is pass, pass, pass, here it's get it forward quicker and I like that.
"I know Mixu and Franck Sauzee played together. Mixu scored a lot of goals here and I want to score a lot of goals, more than the coach. He scored many, but it's possible. He will be happy if I do."
He added: "I stayed six years at Monaco and last year I won the reserve championship. I scored 14 goals. But the Genoa coach wanted to give me experience because I'm the youngest forward player in Italy."
Paatelainen, meanwhile, believes Pinau has excellent potential and revealed big-name clubs south of the border were on his trail.
The under-pressure Finn, who confirmed Abdessalam Benjelloun (Charleroi loan) and Clayton Donaldson (Crewe) are nearing exits, added: "I thought our chance was gone when Genoa signed him on a five-year deal. I didn't reveal his name straight away, as at the end of last season, he was on the Manchester City and Blackburn wanted lists as well. He's a bright prospect, not a final article yet. He's quick, has a good finish and is strong as well."
On his side's chances of putting a winless pre-season and opening day defeat at Kilmarnock behind them, he added: "The boys haven't scored too many goals, but hopefully today it all changes. They have been working very hard on that front to make it right."
The full article contains 458 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
