Melkersen challenged to fill Nisbet void as he adapts to grass
Shaun Maloney has challenged Elias Melkersen to step up in Kevin Nisbet’s long-term absence after revealing the Norwegian striker had never played on grass before joining the club.
The 19-year-old January signing from Bodo/glimt made his debut as a late substitute in the goalless draw with Dundee last month and was then given an extended half hour run from the bench during last weekend’s 0-0 stalemate with St Johnstone.
Melkersen is pushing for his first start ahead of the Scottish Cup quarter-final trip to Motherwell on Sunday, and with Nisbet sidelined for the foreseeable future, Maloney knows he will need to call on the youngster more as he seeks to keep Hibs in the top four.
“We’ve lost our main nine for a long period of time and we’re going to have to push Elias because we need him,” Maloney told the Longbangers podcast.
"That’s football. We need to
let him adapt but keep pushing him.
“He’s been so good to work with. He has a brilliant attitude and he works so well out of possession, and that’s been my experience of him since he signed.
"He understood how long it would take to get up to speed and he’s worked so hard. He’s done more sessions than anyone else, the coaches have worked very hard with him to get him ready physically and some of the senior players have taken it upon themselves during training to really help him progress.
"Long may it continue but we’regoingtohavetopushhim, because we really need him.”
Maloney revealed he had to bide his time before giving
Melkersen his chance as the Norway youth international adapted to a new country, and a new playing surface.
"When he signed he had just played a full season in Norway, he’s young – just turned 19 – it’s a new league, a new country, and he’d also never played on a grass pitch before.
"He had to get used to the physicality and the speed of the game. I knew it would take a period of time to get him up to speed, and I did say this, but it got a bit lost. I knew it, and he knew it. We spoke about it before he signed so he knew the plan we had for him.”