The Sunderland player’s agent has delivered a wide-ranging interview ahead of a crucial summer for his client

Nectar Triantis’ agent Jem Karacan has outlined the key priorities for the on-loan Sunderland midfielder ahead of next season, with strong interest building in the 21-year-old following an impressive second half of the campaign with Hibernian.

Triantis returned to Easter Road in January after a challenging first spell earlier in the season, and has since become a crucial part of Hibs’ push for European football, chipping in with goals and assists while delivering consistently strong performances in midfield.

Speaking on the Row Z podcast, Karacan – a former midfielder himself, with spells at Reading, Bolton and Galatasaray – explained the reasoning behind Triantis’ return to Hibs, as well as the midfielder’s long-term goals — with regular first-team football and international recognition central to his next move.

“Nectar has had a great season,” Karacan said. “We had a lot of discussions with him in the summer – do we stay at Sunderland? Where's best with the dream of being a Socceroo? Ever since we started working with him, that's all he ever wanted. 'I need to get to the Socceroos, how do we make that happen?' So then we looked at it, judged everything up, and Hibs were so keen to get him back.”

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Karacan added that the familiarity of the club and environment at Hibs played a big part in their decision last summer: “We thought, 'Look, you've been there, you've had your settling-in period. We think you can go there and I think you can kick on'. Luckily, it's worked out and that's all through him. He's worked hard, he's knuckled down, and he's turned opinion from certain fans.”

Triantis' standout displays in the Scottish Premiership have attracted growing interest from clubs across Europe. However, Karacan insists the primary objective remains earning a place in Australia’s squad for the next World Cup — with the midfielder earning his first senior call-up last month but yet to make his debut.

“People are starting to talk about him but Nectar is very grounded. He just wants to enjoy his football, and with the season he's had, yeah, there's going to be interest,” Karacan said. “But it's also about, what does Nectar want? Ultimately, we're hoping that Australia get to the World Cup.

“That changes things. He has to play next year. We can't afford for him to go to a club and be a bit-part player. He's experienced a season of being one of the main men. He needs to repeat that. We need to make sure that he gets to a club or if he stays at Sunderland, that there are going to be opportunities to play. That's our main focus, making sure he goes to a team where he's going to feel an important part of it.”

Hibernian boss David Gray could look to retain Triantis in some capacity next season, but much will depend on Sunderland’s own trajectory. While automatic promotion to the Premier League now appears unlikely, a play-off push could still change the outlook.

“We have to weigh a lot of things up,” Karacan continued. “He's contracted to Sunderland, they're a huge club. What's going to happen with them, are they going to get promoted? There are so many things that we're still waiting on, and discussions have started to happen.

“It always comes down to the player's performance. We're trying to put him in the best environment where he can flourish, and again, those little things come into it, especially with the World Cup around the corner. That's the same for all the boys that we're looking after. This is the plan, this is where we want to get you to — how do we make that happen?”

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