Lee Johnson says red-hot Hibs striker Kevin Nisbet has the same obsession with scoring as Arsenal legend Ian Wright. The Easter Road gaffer – who admits he tried to sign Nisbet while he was Sunderland boss – is a pal of the ex-England hitman turned TV pundit.
Wright is the Gunners’ second highest goalscorer of all time behind Thierry Henry. Johnson isn’t comparing Nisbet to the former Highbury icon. But he believes the 25-year-old, who has bagged seven in his last six games, has a similar hunger to see the ball go in the back of the net.
Ahead of the Edinburgh derby against Hearts in the Scottish Cup, Johnson said: “Ian is a really good friend of mine. If you listen to him talk now, he’s still thinking about goals. He’s 59 and h still thinks about how he would score, from little angles, little chips or nutmegging the keeper. He talks with such enthusiasm. I think Nissy has it in his mind at the moment that if he gets an opportunity, he’ll finish it.
“And that’s good for us as well as his confidence levels. He’s a dreamer – the kid dreams every day of scoring goals.
“It’s about preparing your mind’s eye, that psychology of framing it when you go into games. The best strikers have that massive self belief.
“As long as they don’t become complacent, it’s the perfect balance. I still think Kevin has a long way to go but he’s got the ability to slow down his mind’s eye – and that’s the real genius for me.”
Johnson failed to land Nisbet when he was in charge of Sunderland but managed to sign fellow Scot Ross Stewart, from Ross County, who is now a cult hero on Wearside. Given Nisbet’s current form, the Hibs boss revealed he’d love to have been able to make them a partnership up front.
Johnson said: “It wasn’t that close with Nissy because we got to a point at Sunderland where we verbally offered something and it was a no. What can you do? You’ve just got to crack on when someone is on a good contract.
“I would have liked to play Ross and Kevin together, that would be a lovely pairing. We signed Ross for £300,000 and worked really hard with him. He’s a great student and now he’s worth £6million or £7m. I think Kevin’s got a lot of top attributes as well and that’s the perfect blend for me – it’s almost like a Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips type blend.”
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