Hibs boss reveals key to striker competing with 'really aggressive' SPFL defenders (original) (raw)

Ex-Newcastle veteran’s arrival will keep target man on his toes

Myko Kuharevich has been backed to continue going toe-to-toe with “aggressive” defenders in the bare-knuckle environment of the Scottish Premiership. But the Ukrainian striker has been warned that he’ll still have to fight and scrap for a starting place in the Hibs XI DESPITE Kieron Bowie’s long-term injury absence, with the arrival of Dwight Gayle and versatility of other Hibs attackers guaranteed to provide competition for game time.

Kuharevich and the more flexible Bowie, who can also play out wide, were expected to go head-to-head for the No. 9 role at Hibs before the Scotland Under-21 was ruled out of action until the new year – at the earliest – with a serious hamstring injury. Veteran former Newcastle and Crystal Palace striker Gayle, who signed as a free agent late last week, is seen as offering a different type of threat by Hibs boss Gray.

And Gray is adamant that he’s already tracked improvement in on-loan Swansea forward Kuharevich, back for a second stint at Easter Road, the gaffer saying: “Yeah, I think you’re seeing it all the time. He’s getting fitter.

“When he arrived here, he’d had a pre-season with Swansea. But he hadn’t had much in the way of match minutes.

“You can do all the running you want. But until you get those match minutes into you, it’s not the same.

“You also need to feel that really physical competition that you get in the Scottish Premiership. It’s really demanding and physical, with really aggressive centre backs.

“He knows that because he’s been here before. But I notice a big difference in him, even from his previous spell here.

“Going to Swansea and working with them has benefited him. He’s matured, he’s got stronger – and he uses his body better.”

Kuharevich scored his second goal in five starts to break the deadlock in Saturday’s 2-0 home win over St Johnstone, a first league victory of the season for Hibs. Martin Boyle scored the second for a home side still struggling to bump up their shots on target.

Gray believes Kuharevich will continue to get better, saying: “There are still loads of areas we can improve on. But the addition of a player like Dwight Gayle will help.

“And we’ve still got boys like Harry McKirdy, Elie Youan, all these boys who can play up there, all fighting for the same position. That can only be healthy competition. And it needs to be that way.”