Ex-Hibs boss surprised by Jason Cummings' move to Rangers

Jason Cummings failed to hold down a first-team place at Nottingham Forest

The former Hibs striker has agreed a loan deal at Ibrox until the end of the season barely six months after quitting Easter Road for the English Championship outfit.

Signed by former Rangers boss Mark Warburton, the 22-year-old struggled to hold down a first-team place at Forest, making just ten starts and scoring only four goals. Warburton was sacked at the end of December to be replaced by Aitor Karanka but, it seems, Cummings wasn’t willing to hang around to prove himself to the former Middlesbrough coach.

“Am I surprised Rangers have gone in for him?” asked Stubbs. “No, because I know Jason’s representatives are very fond of Rangers, let’s put it that way.

“I can see why it’s happened but I am probably surprised that Jason hasn’t stuck it out more down in England because that seemed to be a big motivation for him going there in the first place. I know he needs to play games, but especially with the new manager coming in, why not stay around and try to impress him?

“Ask any player, if they are doing well, they will ultimately want to be down in England for one of the big teams.”

Having said that, Stubbs insisted returning to Scotland so quickly wasn’t proof of a lack of ambition on the part of Cummings, who was top scorer for Hibs three seasons in a row.

He said: “Jason is am ambitious guy. He’s not left the Championship to go to any club. Rangers are still a massive club. I must admit, I’ve been quite impressed with the signings they have made up till now. I just hope he does well.

“Playing in front of 50,000 at Ibrox won’t faze him. It’s whether he can produce his form and goalscoring attributes the way he did at Hibs.”

• Alan Stubbs was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is the proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup.