Sunderland loanee's massive improvement and importance to Hibs made clear in key statistics

It would be safe to say Nectarios Triantis’ latest loan spell with Hibs is going far better than his first spell at Easter Road.

The Australian Under-23 international made 14 appearances in all competitions during a loan spell with Hibs during the second half of last season before the Sunderland star returned to the club on the final day of the summer transfer window after agreeing to a season-long loan with David Gray’s men. Although his reintroduction at Hibs got off to a slow start, Triantis has become integral in Gray’s side over the last two months and has proved to be increasingly influential after he slotted into a new role in midfield.

Following a goalscoring appearance in a 3-1 home win against Motherwell earlier this month, Triantis has now scored two goals and provided two assists in his last six appearances as Hibs have marched up the Premiership table - but just how effective has the on-loan Sunderland man been during his latest spell at Easter Road.

What has Triantis said about his recent form?

Speaking to Sunderland’s official website, he said: “I am loving every moment with Hibs, I think everyone can see that from my performances. My whole game is developing to a new level. I feel like a different player to last season. The biggest challenge has been overcoming adversity. I have had a lot of growing up to do but I am constantly working hard to continue this momentum. I have always been comfortable playing in midfield, but the switch has been really interesting. I can express myself with that freedom. When you are enjoying your football, you will play anywhere. The move has been everything I could have hoped for as I continue my development.

“This is a great club which is allowing me to showcase myself week in and week out. The Manager (Gray) has been brilliant for me. He has helped me develop my career and my new position. Consistently playing in the league has taught me so much. The Premiership is so competitive. The supporters are fantastic. You’re competing against some of Europe’s elite, and we’ve had some great recent challenges against Celtic and Rangers.”

What has David Gray said about Triantis and his new role?

Gray gave a major indication that he would look to utilise the Australia Under-23 international in a midfield role as he spoke after Triantis agreed to spend the season at Easter Road. As reported by the Evening News, he said: “Nectar is someone I see as a defensive midfielder who has also played a lot at centre-back, which naturally gives him a strong defensive mindset and discipline to dominate the middle of the pitch. I look forward to working with him once again. I’m delighted to bring Nectar back to the club. He’s someone I really enjoyed working with last season and he’s another great character to add to the dressing room.”

What do the statistics say about the impact Triantis has made?

With the use of data provided by stats experts WhoScored, there is clear evidence of how important the on-loan Sunderland star has become to Gray as he looks to continue his side’s recent run of strong form. Firstly and perhaps the most basic statistic, shows that Triantis has made more starts (19) than any other member of the Hibs squad. Although there are some players have made more appearances during the season, a number of those have come from the bench and only defender Warren O’Hora has played more minutes (1,704) than Triantis’ 1,618.

Although the Aussie is playing in a deep-lying midfield role, he has been able to provided four goal involvements (goals scored and assists) and that tally is only bettered by the in-form Martin Boyle (seven goals, three assists), Dwight Gayle (four goals and two assists) and Nicky Cadden (four goals and three assists). However, Triantis’ importance when it comes to the other side of the game is also clear in the statistic as the 21-year-old is making an average of 2.4 tackles per game, which is more than any of his team-mates and only Lewis Miller is managing to make more interceptions per game with 1.3 compared to Triantis’ 1.2 per game.

Looking overall, using WhoScored’s ratings system, Triantis sits second in a table of average match ratings with 7.09. The only member of Gray’s squad that can better that is Cadden, who can boast an average rating of 7.13.