Hibs boss Jack Ross reveals reason for James Scott absence as he sends message to on-loan Hull City forward

Jack Ross has urged James Scott to improve his fitness in order to force his way back into the Hibs first-team.

James Scott needs to get fitter to force his way back into the Hibs first-team squad, according to Jack Ross

The 21-year-old arrived on a season-long loan from Hull City during the summer transfer window but has only had 50 combined minutes of gametime since his first-half appearance against Hearts at Tynecastle in mid-September.

Despite the Easter Road side struggling for bodies in the final third, Scott was left out of the matchday squad for the defeats at Aberdeen and at home to Celtic.

“James needs to be fitter. He’s available, but he needs to be fitter. Once he does that then he’ll be back in contention,” Ross confirmed after the 3-1 loss to the Hoops.

Asked if it was disappointing given the club’s shortage of options up front, Ross added: “You look at your squad all the time.

"We have been hamstrung by injuries middle-to-front for a while now, and we’ve got fairly restricted options in that regard.

"You need players to be at their absolute best and the challenge for James is to get to that level and once he is, then he'll be an asset.”

Scott, who battled back from two serious injuries following his move to the Tigers in January 2020, last played for Hibs in the 3-0 defeat by Dundee United on October 16 and appears unlikely to feature against Ross County this weekend.

His lack of minutes has also seen him left out of the Scotland Under-21 squad for next month’s UEFA Euro Under-21 qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belgium, with club colleague Josh Doig earning a call-up.

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