Dwight Gayle reveals the 'unbelievable' Hibs player that has impressed him most amid Hearts revelation

Hibs striker Dwight Gayle has hailed teammate Nectar Triantis as the player that has impressed him most during his debut season at Easter Road, revealing which ‘powerful’ talent he believes has been key to his performances.

The 35-year-old striker linked up with the Scottish Premiership high-fliers in September, moving to Leith on a free transfer following his release from Derby County in the summer and has proven a shrewd piece of business by head coach David Gray.

Gayle wrote himself into Hibs folklore when he scored the winning goal in the Edinburgh derby against Hearts on Boxing Day, and has added eight goal contributions in his 20 league appearances since his arrival. However, the key figure at the heart of the recent Easter Road resurgence in recent months has undoubtedly been that of on loan Sunderland midfielder Triantis.

“My closest mate at the club is [Nathan] Moriah-Welsh, he’s doing really well,” he told the Open Goal Podcast. “Obviously Junior [Hoilett] as well. We get on really well, we have a nice little group. I’ve been so happy for him [David Gray], because you can really see how much it means to him. He’s someone who didn’t get too high or low with wins or losses and stuff. The boys are very thankful for what he’s done for them and things are going well at the moment.

“Obviously Nectar has just been unbelievable. You see that unpredictability that I mentioned before. I feel like he is someone who is so good at it. You think he’s going to pass there, and he manages to just dribble somewhere else. It just catches people out. A very powerful figure in the middle, he’s been one of our better players. But all the boys have chipped in.”

Hibs midfielder Nectar Triantis has been a standout performer at Easter Road this season (Photo: Craig Foy/SNS Group) | SNS Group

Discussing his move to Hibs earlier this season, the experienced striker revealed he very nearly wore the colours of Hearts after being contacted by former Tynecastle head coach Steven Naismith.

“I think I had the opportunity,” admitted Gayle. “I think Naismith mentioned about coming to Hearts at the beginning of the season, and it wasn’t the right thing for me at the time. Then I played against Cambridge in a friendly and I think the guys up here watched it and they said they were interested in me coming up.

“I wasn’t sure with my family arrangements but then I spoke to Joe [Newell] again [about joining Hibs], who I spoke to a bit over the summer. I just thought it was a good opportunity for me because obviously I’ve played in most of the leagues down south, and big club and it was too good an opportunity to turn down.”

Asked which opposition players had impressed him the most on his debut season in the Scottish Premiership, Gayle said: “[Lennon] Miller in midfield, I thought the young boy [James] Wilson who got called up the other day was good. Obviously, the boys at Celtic are doing really well. [Vaclav] Cerny and [Hamza] Igamane at Rangers. They caused us trouble on the counter attack - they’re really good.”