Hibs boss backs Lewis to hit form again

Published on Tuesday 22 July 2008 11:07

HIBS boss Mixu Paatelainen today insisted Lewis Stevenson can rediscover the form which made him such a huge hit at Easter Road.

The little midfielder burst on to the scene two years ago under Tony Mowbray before becoming a major star under former boss John Collins.

But, after suffering a dip in form and confidence, Stevenson managed to feature in just four games under Paatelainen last season.

However, he is still just 20 years of age and Paatelainen believes that there is much more to come from the player.

The Hibs manager said: "Lewis Stevenson is a fantastic footballer. He has got a good attitude and a lot of potential.

"We've got to remember that he is still just a young boy. He broke into the first team when he was young and he still is young.

"He didn't play an awful lot of football towards the second half of last season and he was disappointed with that.

"But hopefully we will see the best of him this season and he will be much more involved than he was last time round."

Stevenson is one of the players at Paatelainen's disposal for Thursday's friendly match with Barcelona and the Hibs manager revealed that, Abdessalam Benjelloun and Ross Campbell aside, he should have a full squad to choose from.

The Easter Road side take on Montrose tonight, Barcelona on Thursday night and Cowdenbeath on Monday night.

Hibs are likely to field some fringe players tonight and on Monday, but Paatelainen insisted that the Scottish Football league teams deserve just as much respect as the La Liga stars.

He continued: "We have got quite a range of opponents over the next few days, but they are all matches that will help us to continue to improve our fitness levels.

"Obviously the players are looking forward to the Barcelona game immensely because it is a chance to test themselves against some of the best players in the world. It will be a big game for everyone involved and it will be interesting to see how we cope with it.

"However, the games against Montrose and Cowdenbeath are also important for us because we know that they will give us a difficult time and they have got a lot of good youngsters on their books.

"A lot of the players at these clubs will be looking forward to playing us and it will be a bit like a cup final for them.

"We know that they will give everything that they have got – you only have to look at the result between Peterhead and Aberdeen to know that.

"It maybe won't be our first eleven against Montrose and Cowdenbeath but it will be a strong side and I am sure they will be good tests for us."