Hibs striker Marc McNulty insists he will do all he can to try and force through a permanent move following a successful spell at Easter Road.
The on loan Reading player struck his eighth goal from 15 appearances in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen in the final Premiership match of the season.
As it stands, the 26-year-old, who also earned his first Scotland caps in March’s Euro qualifiers against Kazakstan and San Marino, will return to pre-season training with his parent club on July 1.
Hibs head coach Paul Heckingbottom is just as eager to retain McNulty although complications are likely to arise over finances.
The marksman joined the Royals on a four-year deal in a £1 million transfer from Coventry City 12 months ago and Reading are likely to want to recoup some of that outlay.
For his part, McNulty admits he will attempt to aid the negotiations as much as he can.
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.”
Permanent
Asked whether it would likely be a loan or permanent switch, McNulty added: “I don’t want to shut the door or 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.”
Despite the season petering out with a five-game post-split winless run that ultimately saw Hibs miss out on Europa League football, McNulty believes the Leith side will go from strength to strength under Heckingbottom, who replaced Neil Lennon in February.
He added: “I definitely want to be here. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“You could see in the first half (against Aberdeen) the kind of football we play under this manager.
“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.”
Scotland
Having sampled international football, McNulty is also eager for more.
He added: “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.”
