Jason Cummings must keep Rangers starting spot for Old Firm clash

Follow us on Google Discover

Glasgow Rangers striker Jason Cummings scored for the Ibrox side at the weekend after being picked ahead of Alfredo Morelos.

With one goal coming in his last six appearances, it was little surprise that Graeme Murty decided to drop Alfredo Morelos from Rangers’ starting lineup for their Scottish Premiership clash with Hearts, with Jason Cummings getting the nod ahead of the Colombian.

Morelos is Rangers’ top goalscorer and deserves to reflect on this season incredibly positively given that he was probably a player that few would have heard of one year ago and is just 21 years of age. Nevertheless, Murty’s decision to take him out of the firing line against Hearts and play Cummings was a smart move – and his faith in the January signing was vindicated.

It was Cummings who broke the deadlock just as it looked like it was going to be an incredibly frustrating afternoon for Rangers in a game that they would ultimately go on to win 2-1.

And now, Murty can surely not justify bringing Morelos back into the starting lineup for this weekend’s trip to Parkhead to face Celtic if it means that Cummings drops out of the side.

The Nottingham Forest-owned forward has not exactly captured the imagination with just two Scottish Premiership goals coming so far. In January, it seemed from the outside that pursuing a permanent deal for the 22-year-old would be a formality. Now however, it is difficult to call which way Rangers will go regarding whether they will try and sign him permanently.

However, it would be unfair to judge Cummings too harshly given that he has started in just three of his 11 league appearances and started in back-to-back games on just one occasion since arriving.

And after getting on the scoresheet against Hearts at the weekend, it is surely now time to hand Cummings the kind of big stage that he thrives on and start him against Celtic with Morelos looking short on confidence right now. Not only could that decision help boost Rangers’ chances of delaying the Hoops’ title win even further, but it may also go a long way to helping decide what avenue they want to go down when his future becomes a talking point in the summer.