Glasgow Rangers forward Jason Cummings is not guaranteed a starting spot for Sunday’s clash at Ibrox.
During the final months of Mark Warburton’s tenure or during the entire spell that Pedro Caixinha spent at Ibrox, it would have seemed unfathomable that Rangers would be in a position to drop a player for an Old Firm game who had just scored a hat-trick in their previous fixture.
However, that is a decision that Graeme Murty may well make this weekend, and it is entirely possible that few supporters will argue with the call if he decides to leave the Gers’ hero last weekend out of the starting lineup when Celtic travel to Ibrox on Sunday.
Jason Cummings has endured a mixed start to his loan spell with the club, but reminded fans of his quality when Falkirk arrived for the Scottish Cup quarter-final as he stole the headlines by scoring a hat-trick in the 4-1 win.
Before the game, the 22-year-old may have felt that he would have to pull out all the stops to stand a chance of keeping his starting spot for the game against Celtic having been used more often as a substitute in the Scottish Premiership since joining from Nottingham Forest. But he certainly managed to stake the best claim possible.
Nevertheless, if Jamie Murphy is fit, how can Murty justify keeping Cummings in the side? Murphy has been sensational since signing on loan, Josh Windass’ form has been frightening lately and Daniel Candeias is the league’s most prolific provider of assists, and leaving Alfredo Morelos out would see Murty drop the division’s top goalscorer for the biggest date in the calendar.
It provides Murty with a huge dilemma, but it should be a dilemma that the manager relishes having as it is clearly a sign of how far they have come since he returned to the dugout in the wake of Caixinha’s departure.
Since being promoted in 2016, Rangers could perhaps consider themselves fortunate if they went into an Old Firm game with a handful of players in half decent form anywhere on the pitch, but they now go into Sunday in a position where they will not be able to fit all of their in-form options into the front four – and that suggests that they should be ready to give Celtic their toughest day since Warburton’s side knocked them out on penalties in the Scottish Cup semi-final two years ago.
Murty deserves an enormous amount of credit for the transformation, but few Rangers fans will envy him when it comes time to decide how his front four is going to look for Sunday.
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