Jair Tavares rates Hibs 'just behind' Rangers and Celtic as winger 'depressed' about 2 things in Scotland
Tavares has recently found his feet in Scotland but it's been tough to adapt after leaving his hometown of Lisbon.
Jair Tavares has been talking Scottish football in his homeland - and told a popular newspaper that Hibs aren't far off Rangers and Celtic.
Tavares arrived at Hibs from Benfica in the summer and he's been in the headlines in his homeland because his old club travel to Glasgow to face Rangers in the Europa League this week. After a difficult start, he's started to find his feet under Nick Montgomery and came off the bench against Gers in the Scottish Cup over the weekend.
In an interview with A Bola, Tavares discussed the state of the Scottish game and ranked Hibs, alongside Hearts and Aberdeen, as 'just behind' the big two in Glasgow. He also opened up on life in Edinburgh and admitted he didn't know much about Hibs at all til the summer move came about. He said: “I didn’t know the club at all until the offer came and I came here. But it’s an excellent club for developing a player. In Scotland, it’s just behind Rangers and Celtic, on a par with Hearts and Aberdeen.
"Hibernian offers you the best conditions, with a beautiful stadium, too, and fans who are crazy about the club. Living in Edinburgh has been good, honestly.
“Completely different from my beloved Lisbon, which I only realised was the best city in the world after I left (laughs). The weather and the food are the only things that depress me here, but otherwise it’s a very beautiful city with a high quality of life.”
Speaking about the wider state of Scottish football, he reckons the quality is lower than in Portugal...but the SPFL makes up for it in intensity. He went on: “Scottish football is nothing like what people on the outside think. They don’t realise how difficult it is to play here. It’s not easy at all. It’s totally different to Portuguese football. In our country you’ll find players with much more quality than here, and it’s more beautiful football to watch, there’s more spectacle, but here you have a non-stop type of game.
"After 20 minutes you’re almost out of oxygen. It’s a much more physical, uglier game. But in terms of intensity it’s a few steps above Portuguese football."