Phil Parkinson handed Marc McNulty just one League One start at Sunderland; now the striker has reunited with Jack Ross at Scottish Premiership Hibernian.
Marc McNulty has admitted that leaving Sunderland was not an easy decision, in quotes reported by the Echo, but the striker simply could not turn down the opportunity to play regular first-team football again at Hibernian.
You have to feel for the 27-year-old.
When he arrived at the Stadium of Light last summer, he had a coach in Jack Ross who believed in his potential. But, just a matter of weeks into McNulty’s Sunderland career, he was forced to prove himself to a whole new manager.
And it quickly became clear that the former Sheffield United and Bradford man just wasn’t Parkinson’s cup of tea. McNulty started just one League One game under Parkinson, a coach who tends to prefer old-school target men a la James Hanson, Gary Madine or Charlie Wyke.
McNulty, after all, is just 5ft 8ins.
The Edinburgh-born speedster left Sunderland after just half a season on deadline day, returning to a Hibernian side now under the management of, you guessed it, Jack Ross. And McNulty feels that it was a decision he just had to take.
“It was quite difficult because the Sunderland manager wanted to keep me, and it’s hard leaving a club like that,” said a gracious McNulty.
“It’s a massive club and you want to play for big clubs. There was a chance of a potential promotion on my CV, but you want to play and be involved in a team.
“He was brilliant to be fair – except for not playing me!”
McNulty netted seven times in 15 Scottish Premiership games during a previous loan spell at Hibs in 2018/19 and, with the departure of Florian Kamberi opening up a space in attack, the Sunderland bench-warmer could soon be back on the pitch and in amongst the goals.
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