Hibs' Marc McNulty recounts deadline-day drama - and reveals an old 'elbow' battle with Christian Doidge

Marc McNulty has admitted that everything just feels “right” after returning to Easter Road for a second time following an emotionally draining transfer-deadline day.

Frustrated at a lack of game time at Sunderland, the striker was pushing to have his loan spell at the Black Cats cut short, a move manager Phil Parkinson was reluctant to sanction.

But Parkinson swooped to sign Bristol City frontman Antoine Semenyo, triggering a sequence of deals which saw McNulty reunited with Hibs boss Jack Ross, who had signed him for Sunderland last summer, while Easter Road striker Flo Kamberi joined Rangers on loan with Ibrox midfielder Greg Docherty heading in the opposite direction in a similar deal.

“It was on and off a few times on Friday, from probably about late Thursday night,” he revealed. “The amount of messages from family and that asking what’s happening and I’m saying; ‘I don’t know, I know as much as you. When I know something I’ll tell you’.

“It was on, then it was off. I’ve learned this before – it’s better saying nothing until you’re in the building and it’s done. It was challenging, but Hibs were brilliant. Graeme Mathie (the club’s sporting director) and Leeann Dempster (chief executive) were different class getting the deal done.”

While all the wrangling was going on McNulty wasn’t far away, already in Edinburgh having been given the weekend off as Sunderland travelled to face Portsmouth the following day.

He said: “The manager said ‘look, regardless of what happens, have the weekend off and if I see you on Monday, I see you. If not, all the best’. That was where we were at. I live up here and I have family here so I was coming up anyway. I was sitting by the phone waiting for someone to say it’s all go.”

Having scored eight goals for Hibs in the second half of last season, McNulty revealed he was keen to have remained in Edinburgh, but his hands were tied given he’s under contract to Reading, the upshot being a season-long loan at Sunderland.

McNulty, who has another two years of his Reading contract to run at the end of this season, said: “I had made it clear that I wanted to come back (to Hibs). Graeme and Leeann made it clear they’d like to keep me but there’s lots of stuff that goes on behind the scenes and it never quite happened.

“I was a bit disappointed but football changes quickly and here I am.”

McNulty made it clear that returning to Reading at this stage of the season was never on, the 27-year-old saying: “I had a couple of options which is typical of January time. It was never going to be a case of me going back to Reading.

“I’d be going back there and not making squads and the reason I was leaving Sunderland was to come and play games. I chose Hibs because of how well I did last time, how much I enjoyed it and I’d worked with the manager before.

“Football’s funny how it works out sometimes. It was great to work with him and Pottsy (John Potter, Ross’ assistant) and it was a big reason I came here.”

McNulty’s first spell in a green-and-white jersey was so successful he pushed his way into the Scotland squad, winning his first caps against Kazakhstan and San Marino and although he hasn’t been called up since, he insisted international football remains a burning ambition.

And he believes playing in the Premiership again will heighten his chances of catching the eye of national coach Steve Clarke while conceding the only way to do so will be to reproduce his form of last season and that’s something he feels he can do playing alongside Christian Doidge, a striker he knows from his days playing for Coventry City in League Two when he bagged 28 goals while the current Hibs top scorer was netting 25 for Forest Green Rovers.

He said: “Chris reminded me that we had a little argument when we played against each other. He elbowed me or something and I went after him. Did I catch him? I can’t actually remember, I think I went after a few people. But he’s on fire just now. It’s good for me when another striker is confident, that will rub off on me and hopefully we can strike up a partnership if we get the chance.”

And of his Scotland aspirations? “I do think I am more visible playing in Scotland – 100 per cent,” he said. “If I was at Sunderland, playing every week and scoring goals, then I’m sure I would have a better chance.

“But no disrespect, to League Two or lower League One teams, I don’t think I’d get a look in playing there.

“Coming up here, I am in the spotlight a bit more. If I score a few goals, it would probably be easier for the manager to pick me.”