Marc McNulty wants to continue his football career at Easter Road after impressing following his transfer window move in January.
The striker’s form with Hibs earned him an international call-up and he is keen to catch Steve Clarke’s eye next season as Scotland attempt to qualify for a major tournament for the first time in over 20-years.
It is understood that Reading boss Jose Manuel Gomes told McNulty that he wasn’t in his plans almost immediately after taking over from the sacked Paul Clement last December.
When asked about his future following Hibs’ final day defeat to Aberdeen on Sunday, McNulty said: “I’ve got three years left at Reading, it’s not just a case of me saying I want to go and Reading saying ‘all right, see you later’, it’s very complicated.
“It took ages to get the loan deal done. To do the permanent I’m guessing it will be the same. There’s a lot of stuff in the background that makes it difficult. But if I need to push it, then I will.
“I’ve just been told to report back for Reading training on July 1 and Hibs are back on June 20.
“I’m going to guess that Hibs will try and get something done before then so I am in with the boys and personally I would like that too.
“I definitely want to be here. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“With a good pre-season it will get better, especially if we bring in a couple of new players then we will be very strong.
“I came up and started so well, but I dipped which was frustrating. I think with the manager and the squad we have, and a good pre-season with a couple of additions, then if I do come back we should do really well.
“When I came up that was my goal to try and do well and get a Scotland cap and I’ve managed to do that.
“Unless you are playing in the Premier League or Championship down in England then you need to be doing something extraordinary to get a look in.
“There’s a pecking order and rightly so if those boys are doing it at that level, they should be ahead of you on merit if you’re only in League One or whatever.
“But if you come up here and do it in Scotland then you’ve got a better chance of being in the squad.
“I don’t want to shut the door on anything, but I think I need to be settled somewhere. I can’t just keep going on loan after loan. I would push for the permanent side and try and get myself settled, but if that wasn’t possible and the only option was a loan, then I would be happy.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
