Shaun Maloney knows we need to talk about Kevin. Last week it would have been De Bruyne but now it’s Nisbet.
That’s no slight on the Hibs Kev, because the attacker is one of the top talents in the country. But he isn’t the Belgian one.
Maloney is just as pleased to working with either. The new Hibs manager might have traded one of the best squads on the planet for one sitting in the bottom half of the Premiership but he’ll approach it exactly the same way.
The 38-year-old relished his position as Roberto Martinez’s right-hand man with the Red Devils but he couldn’t resist the opportunity to strike out on his own at Easter Road. The quality might not be comparable – but the challenge is.
Maloney said: “Maybe not each player is the same but the coaching process you go through can be similar for any player.
“Every player individually is so, so different. Coaching messages are different to each player. But that’s my job.
“It’s not the job of my players to adapt to me, it’s the job of me and my staff to adapt to our players.
“It’s my job to get my players as comfortable on the pitch as possible and also to drive them to the limits, to push them to do things they maybe haven’t done before.
“There will hopefully be lots of wins and as few losses as possible but there will be tough moments.
"So that connection with the players has to be the immediate priority. Then we coach them from there. Every team will play their own style or vision whatever manager they have, the main thing is always the players.
“There are obviously certain ideas I have, but they are ideas around what I think is the best way to win.
“The big thing in that is I have to give something the supporters really enjoy watching, there has to be some sort of inspiration between the support and the players. I think that’s going to be vital over the coming days, weeks and years hopefully.”
This may be Maloney’s first managerial gig but three years with the Belgians has given him some serious street cred.
But he doesn’t want the Hibs players to be judging him on his old job – only on his plans for his new club.
The former Celtic, Aston Villa and Wigan star said: “I get the feeling the players are like myself and you respect everyone from the beginning.
“I’m not really from the school where you need to earn respect. You respect everyone and behaviour dictates how that goes in the future. I don’t think it will be about my work with the Belgium team, it will be the work I do with the players each day. That’s what dictates the relationship going forward.”
Maloney knows the Hibs job comes with expectation and high demands. Jack Ross finished third last season and got to cup finals only to see his bags packed.
But he’s ready for the coal face as it’s not exactly a dawdle being in the dugout with a global football super power.
He said: “I see it slightly differently. Being assistant manager of Belgium is not pressure-free. There are really big games and tournaments, big moments.
“So maybe that pressure is a big part of the reason why I feel completely ready.
“I also have to mention Roberto because he’s been a tremendous head coach to learn from. Very open and incredibly generous with his time which I’ve used a lot. I’ve learned an incredible amount in the last three years.
“From the point of view of it being my first job (as a manager), I’m aware of that. But I feel really experienced in terms of some of the high pressure moments and coaching players. I’m ready to get going.”
Maloney won’t be trying to get Hibs to play like Belgium but he will use the experience gained with the Red Devils. And there’s lessons to be learned for anyone in the Easter Road dressing room who thinks they are a big-time Charlie.
Maloney said: “When I first went in to Belgium the thing that made it very easy was the players – they were extremely humble.
“It’s hard to explain these players just in terms of their attitude and work rate, but on the human side it was such a big positive. We had big highs over the three years, beating big nations. We also had the lows, in big matches with fine margins – just like the Cup Final the other day.
“All of these experiences are big learning curves. The last three years has been a great learning experience. But the connection with the players and staff was the biggest thing I took from it.”
Maloney is hoping for the same connection in Leith, although he’s not banking on De Bruyne and co joining him in Scotland any time soon.
He added: “They have an amazing team. From my point of view there is a lot of talent at Hibs. The January window is coming up but I’ve got to give priority to the players in the building before we look outside. Everyone gets a clean slate while we give them the messages they need.
“Well then take it from the training and the games. This club is also built on bringing players through so we’ll also look at the Academy. We’ll look inside before we look outside.”
