Can Hibs land Sunderland loanee on permanent terms? Gaffer addresses 'ifs and buts' of dream deal - Exclusive

Hibs boss David Gray has addressed the “ifs and buts” surrounding a potential summer swoop for loan star Nectar Triantis. And he’s warned against the temptation of making “quick fix” signings during the January window – because the number of players likely to leave this summer will require a more stable long-term approach to squad building.

Sunderland midfielder Triantis has come onto some blistering form in his second loan spell with Hibs, the former Central Coast Mariners player – who came through the A-League ranks as a central defender - emerging as a key player since cementing his position further up the park. Hibs would be interested in securing the 21-year-old on a more permanent footing as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract with the Black Cats, currently engaged in an almighty promotion scrap at the top of the EFL Championship.

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Acknowledging that a lot could depend on whether Triantis has the chance to play Premier League football with his parent club next season, Gray said: “Obviously he's doing really well at the moment. With Nectar, he's obviously contracted to a Championship club.

“They're doing really well as well, Sunderland, so a lot will probably depend on what happens with them. They have aspirations to try and get promoted to the Premier League.

“He's still there next season, so what does that look like for Nectar? There are loads of ifs and buts on how that can change moving forward.

“One thing I would say from our point of view is I think he's doing really well, which is great, the fact we're talking about him, the fact that he's getting better all the time in that position and he's enjoying football. So that's the biggest thing I take out of it.

“He's learning, he's getting better all the time, he's desperate to keep improving and he's enjoying himself and training every day. So he's in a good place and hopefully that can continue.”

Hibs still hope to land at least two new players before the end of the January window, with former Barcelona prospect Alasana Manneh a prime target. But Gray admits that immediate activity is likely to be overshadowed by a massive squad overhaul come the close season.

“I think, as always, you want to do as much business as early as you possibly can, of course you do,” said Gray. “But it's not always as straightforward as that.

“Because we've got 15 players out of contract, there's going to be a turnover in the summer as well. So there's no point in trying to do a short term quick fix, let's just say, if there are opportunities that make us better longer term, that can be done now.

“That isn't always easy because it's always a difficult window. So it's not just this window we're looking at, we're looking at how it moves forward and how it affects the next window.

“The key will be making sure by the end of the window we're stronger than when we started. And I do believe we will be by the end of it, which is good.”

Hibs will continue to feed Kieron Bowie and Mykola Kuharevich back into games over the coming weeks, with both guaranteed to feature against Ross County in Dingwall on Sunday. Scotland Under-21 star Bowie, who was being nursed back from a previous injury when he suffered a major hamstring problem in September, returned as a substitute in the weekend win over Clydebank, while Kuharevich – out with a groin injury picked up in December – started the game.

Asked whether Bowie, yet to make a start for Hibs, would continue to see game time from the bench in the short term, Gray said: “It just depends. He will build up the minutes, but it all depends on what happens on the week to week

“It probably benefits him now that we're week to week with games, when there's no mid-week games, you can really focus on his training week, and really get him conditioning in between games, arrange bounce games, all these things. Because you can do all the training you want, but trying to re-enact that game scenario can be difficult.

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“Clearly, he's still a way off where he needs to be ready to start again, but he's still obviously demonstrating when he came onto the weekend that he's still got physical presence, he's still fit enough to still contribute, and I expect him to do that in the coming weeks.

“He's not ready to start again in football yet, just purely because you don't know how long he'll last, and you wouldn't just throw him straight into a game, having been out for the length of time he has. So we'll manage him like we did, in the best, safest possible way, but at the same time maximise getting him back to his best.

“Myko’s not been out for as long, which is why he started the game, but the plan was always really 45 minutes for him. He’ll get stronger off the back of that.”