League One Sunderland reportedly wanted to sign Marc McNulty before he joined Scottish Premiership outfit Hibernian from Reading.
Sunderland were linked with a whole host of strikers before Will Grigg completed his protracted move to the Stadium of Light, joining from Wigan Athletic for £4 million on deadline day (BBC).
One of those was Marc McNulty. According to the Northern Echo, the Black Cats were keen to rescue the 26-year-old from his miserable spell at Reading.
Considering that McNulty scored just once in four Championship starts for the Royals, Sunderland supporters could be forgiven for feeling a little underwhelmed. After all, they had a departed talisman to replace in the Bordeaux-bound Josh Maja.
So it seemed that Sunderland got the much better player when Grigg finally arrived, paving the way for McNulty to join Hibernian on loan instead.
But while Grigg has scored just once in five starts for Jack Ross’s side so far, McNulty has shown Sunderland what they could have had with a stunning start to life north of the border.
The former Coventry City speedster has six goals in his last four games, including matchwinning braces in successive Scottish Premiership fixtures against Dundee and St Johnstone respectively.
This, then, puts even more pressure on Grigg to live up to his £4 million price-tag.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
