Hibs midfielder Nathan Moriah-Welsh on being a 'perfectionist'

Speaking to the media this for the first time since his January arrival, the 21-year-old midfielder exuded an air of quiet confidence to back up a tirelessly impressive first start against Celtic in midweek. It certainly made sense when he named his former Bournemouth manager, Scott Parker, as the biggest influence on his career to date, given how tigerishly he snapped at the heels of the Premiership champions.

Few will have found fault with a performance Nick Montgomery labelled 'outstanding' in the aftermath, except Moriah-Welsh himself. 'Fuming' was his verdict at a less-than-handful of misplaced passes, and such an attitude will be music to the ears of a Hibs fanbase craving an elevation in standards.

Having cut his teeth on loan at Newport County in England's fourth tier last year, an imminent Scottish Cup battle against Inverness Caledonian Thistle should hold no surprises for Moriah-Welsh, who has already captained Guyana despite his relative inexperience. That speaks to a player who can back up his asserted pursuit of flawlessness with performances on the pitch, and there's tentative optimism at Easter Road that he will prove the missing piece in a midfield accused of lacking sufficient grit.

"I'm a perfectionist so there's always expectation on my shoulders," he said. "The fans expect what they expect and we 100 per cent have to give it to them every week. If we can keep putting in performances like we did against Celtic, then going forward, we can't do then no wrong and can't do ourselves any harm.

READ MORE: Every word from Nathan Moriah-Welsh Hibs Q&A ahead of ICT

"Celtic, Rangers - all those teams are top, top teams. Coming into it, we knew it was going to be a battle, but those are the games you want to be involved in, against top teams. That's where you want to be in five-to-ten years time. Playing against teams that have been in the Champions League and Europa League, that's where you want to be.

"Every week I want 100 per cent pass completion, goals, assists, just to be the best person I can be every day, every game. I think I gave the ball away about three or four times against Celtic and I was fuming. If I can be 100 per cent every game, then it gives the team an extra bit every week.

"I've never looked up to a midfielder, I'll be honest. I've never really had idols. If I can take something from every person that I've watched and put it into myself then it makes me the most all-rounded midfielder possible.

"But my biggest influence was Scott Parker when I was at Bournemouth. Obviously he was a midfielder as well. His desire to be a perfectionist and the detail that he and his coaching staff went into rubbed off on me a lot. It just showed what is needed to be a top, top player like he was.

"In training with him, he would sometimes join in and to be fair, he nutmegged me a couple of times. Some managers might not get involved but he played like he wanted our players to play. He was probably the most influential.

"He was fiery. I think I got on the wrong side of him once. I wasn’t on his bad side too many times. But one time – and I’m not going to go into that! I can’t tell you..."

Moriah-Welsh attracted interest from other clubs in Scotland, but it did not take him long to conclude that Easter Road was the only place he wanted to be. The high expectation a Hibs player carries on his shoulders did not catch him off-guard, but he was struck by the fanbase.

READ MORE: Hibs accounts assessed after Capital club posts £3.9m loss

"Not much  has surprised me - probably the fans and how passionate they are," said Moriah-Welsh. "Being at Newport last year, I didn't have as many fans as Hibs do. That's probably the biggest shock but against Celtic thet backed us 100 per cent. That was a big positive.

“My coach at Bournemouth, Alan Connell, said I should go, that it was a top, top club. I spoke to the gaffer and his aspirations aligned with mine. I expect great things from myself. And I expect the club and the lads can do great things.

“You can see it for yourself, Easter Road is a top, top stadium. Edinburgh … I couldn’t say no to it, personally. It was the No. 1 option on my list when a list of clubs came out from my people. It was an opportunity not to be turned down.

“I can’t tell you what the other options were. A couple of clubs up here, a couple of clubs in England were sniffing. But out of all of them, this was the one that just shone for me with a massive light.

“I had watched the Sky Sports games and had a couple of chats with Nnamdi Ofoborh, who didn’t play at Rangers because of his heart condition. He told me what it was like to come up, told me all about Celtic and Rangers.

“But I was kind of oblivious coming into it. Which is what I like. I don’t like to have a lot of expectations. I need to see it for my own eyes.

“Coming up here, there weren’t any doubts at all. I just wanted to play. If I can get as many games in as possible, I’m doing myself the world of good."