It may not have been the best weekend for Sunderland, having been dumped out of the FA Cup, but the club’s loan players have been thriving over the last few days.
Sunderland fans will not be too aggrieved at bowing out of the cup, with promotion from the Championship the top priority for Regis Le Bris’ side this season.
There are positives to take from the FA Cup exit, too, like the fact Le Bris was able to give some of his younger players valuable first-team minutes.
We also saw Ben Crompton impress for Tamworth versus Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, and Luis Hemir score yet again for Juventus Next-Gen.
Nectar Triantis scores for Hibernian in top drawer performance
Among the Sunderland players out on loan, though, we are taking a particular interest in the progress of Nectar Triantis, who continued his brilliant form for Hibernian this weekend.
Triantis, now playing in central midfield as opposed to the centre-back role he previously operated in for Sunderland, scored his second goal of the season in a 3-1 win for the Scottish outfit over Motherwell.
| Statistics | Nectar Triantis vs Motherwell |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Pass success | 84% |
| Dribble success | 100% |
| Duel success | 70% |
| Clearances | 2 |
Triantis pulled in the second-highest rating from the match (7.6 out of 10), thanks to an effective display in the middle of the park, including completion of 36 of his 43 passes on the day.
The Australian also successfully completed all three of his dribbles, and won seven of his ten duels. Triantis also put in a shift defensively, racking up two clearances, one tackle, and one interception.
How does Triantis fit into Sunderland’s plans next season?
The future is very unclear for Triantis at this moment in time, but one thing’s for sure, he is doing his utmost to put himself in the best position come the summer.
How the Sunderland squad shapes up next season will largely depend on whether the Black Cats can achieve promotion this year. If they do, the likes of Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham should stay put, while Enzo Le Fee’s loan move would become permanent.
That would make it very difficult for Triantis to break into the Sunderland midfield, and he would probably be looking at another loan move away from the club, if not a permanent switch. Still, in his current form, he would have a long line of suitors, surely.
If Sunderland were to miss out on promotion, though, one would imagine there would be something of an exodus at the Stadium of Light, which would really open the door for Triantis to come in and make an impact next season under Le Bris.