Neil Lennon’s praise suggests Jason Cummings could replace Sunderland, Rangers’ talismen

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The Hibernian striker has been inspirational this season – and he possesses the qualities to replace Defoe or Miller at Sunderland or Rangers.

Both Rangers and Sunderland are heading into the final few weeks of the season with their hopes slipping away. The Gers are now ten points adrift of Aberdeen in second while The Black Cats appear consigned to relegation.

And a worrying over-reliance on veteran forwards appears to be the root problem for both clubs. Therefore, they should perhaps take note of Hibernian manager Neil Lennon as he once again lauds talismanic striker Jason Cummings for leading the club’s charge back to the top flight, as reported by Edinburgh News.

37-year-old Kenny Miller (above) remains Rangers’ joint top scorer with just six league goals this season but, as it stands, he looks set to depart Ibrox for the third time in the summer with his contract running down.

Meanwhile, according to the Daily Mail, 34-year-old Defoe will be permitted to leave the Stadium of Light on a free if Sunderland do indeed succumb to the seemingly inevitable drop. Considering their survival hopes have rested solely on the England international’s shoulders, that seems more than fair.

Consequently, the shot shy duo will both be in the market for a goalscorer in the summer with Cummings reportedly on their respective radars. The Scottish Sun reported that Sunderland are interested in the £2 million forward after David Moyes travelled to watch him personally while, according to the Daily Mail, Rangers have tracked Cummings in the past.

And with both clubs seemingly set to lose the strikers they depend upon in the summer, they can take solace in knowing that Cummings has history when it comes to carrying a team’s ambitions.

The 21-year-old has contributed 16 of Hibs’ 47 goals in the Scottish second division this season, keeping the club at the top of the table and compensating for his team-mates’ profligacy.

“We’ve got to score goals. Jason has done brilliantly but the rest need to look at themselves and ask ‘have I done enough?’,” Lennon told Edinburgh News.

Rangers and Sunderland fans have been asking the same questions of their club’s supporting cast all season. Though, with Cummings, they could find a new leading man.