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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Gordon Parks

Elias Melkersen is most exciting Hibs striker since Jason Cummings opened his tin of beans - Tam McManus

Superheroes are a bit thin on the ground in Scottish football.

The only caped crusaders cutting about Leith are a few shady characters wearing underpants over their tights.

That may all be about to change as I believe Hibs have found a Captain Marvel as Elias Melkersen at last announced himself with a brilliant weekend double at Motherwell.

I've not been this excited about a young striker emerging at Easter Road since Jason Cummings claimed his left foot could "open up a tin of beans" after his goals at Hamilton in the play-offs a few years back.

Melkersen arrived in the summer with a big reputation from Bodo/Glimt but he was kept in the background before making his debut as a late substitute in the goalless draw with Dundee last month and was then given a run from the bench in a stalemate with St Johnstone.

All I can say is that after watching him score twice at Fir Park to put Hibs into the last four of the Scottish Cup, he's been more than worth the wait.

Hibs paid a six figure fee for him, he was the buzz signing of last summer and then it all went quiet, it's a lot of money for a guy who'd apparently never played the game on grass before.

All we had seen of him was what was on his goal compilation video and it was enough to have the fans convinced they had a player on their hands.

It appears there have been a few injury issues and maybe the management have been keeping him on a tight rein but I'll tell you what, he was let off the leash at Motherwell and he was outstanding.

Two goals, great movement and clinical finishing, this boy is only 19-years-old and he just looks like a player.

You can tell straight away with guys like Melkersen, the way he moves, the intelligence and the calibre of his finishing.

It was two chances and two goals and he has the fans anticipating more of the same over the next couple of months.

What Melkersen offers is something different to Shaun Maloney's side. I watched his touch and how ruthless he was with the way he took his second goal. Hibs have been desperate for someone, anyone, a superhero to come in and score goals and for Melkersen to come in and do it in front of 3,500 of his own fans and in such a big game is an instant impact.

It couldn't be timed any better with Kevin Nisbet injured and it's also going to give the other strikers something to think about if they want to keep their place in the team.

He looks hungry, he reminds me of myself when I came through at Hibs, like the other young strikers emerging at that time, it was just a desperation to score goals.

Melkersen's two goal performance caught the eye (SNS Group)

Not all signings display that appetite.

Eduardo Hurtado from Ecuador, his nickname was 'Tank', he arrived with a big reputation by scoring goals all over South America.

He wasn't a flash in the pan, he was more flushed down the pan and remains the worst footballer I played with.

It was mental, honestly, he was hopeless. I remember he came into Hibs and trained in the morning and I watched him with my mouth open in shock. He was murder. Sometimes you get guys who are poor in training but come alive in games, but sadly not the bold Eduardo, at times I thought it would be better to check he had a pulse.

What a Scottish Cup draw, I was amazed to hear the two big Glasgow and Edinburgh clubs have never been all together at this stage of the competition and now we have two cracking games to look forward to.

Hibs could possibly be playing Hearts three times in the month of April if they get into the top six.

They would face them in the league in the week leading to the Scottish Cup semi-final and then after that, depending on the split.

These are the games which make or break you both as a player and a manager. It's the ultimate chance for Maloney to endear himself to a support where there's nothing better than beating Hearts.

He may also have found himself a superhero to save the day.

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