High of the Tiger... he’ll be thrill of the fight
Jack backs James’ ‘enormous potential’ after Hull agony
JACK ROSS insists James Scott is a perfect fit for Hibs.
The Easter Road boss admits it’s not impossible the striker could stay at Easter Road beyond his initial season-long loan agreement and he might also add more signings for both ends of the pitch.
Ross says a move for Scott was on his mind even before the long-term injury sustained by Christian Doidge.
The 20-year-old, who joined Hull for £1.5million last year, has returned to Scotland and could go straight into the line-up for tomorrow’s clash against Dundee.
Scott suffered a serious ankle in his first training session at Hull and has struggled for game time but Ross says the hitman is raring to get going and he revealed: “It is one we have tried to do for a couple of weeks now, even prior to Christian’s injury.
“He is a player we identified and thought would improve us with attributes that suit us.
“Obviously, Christian’s injury just highlighted the need for another one in a forward area, so I’m delighted.
“He’s still a player with enormous potential and, hopefully, over the course of this season, we can help him realise that and he can be a big asset to us.
“James has played recently for Hull, he did all pre-season with games and Carabao Cup games, so he’s ready to go.
“He was unfortunate when he first went to Hull to suffer the serious injury on his first day. He’s been frustrated at not getting more game time, but we’ve got a player who is desperate to do well and knows the league well which is important. “He’s still young at 20 which people are surprised at given how long he’s been around, but I thought he was terrific at Motherwell and got his move to Hull. “In terms of how we try to play, I think he’s a really good fit. “One thing I’ve not done a lot of recent times is take loan players. We are trying to have something stable with longer planning but the fact we have him for a season was important. “He’s a hungry player and a good player that ticks a lot of boxes for us. “He was also familiar with a lot of our players from the Scotland Under-21 set-up as well, so he’ll fit in well.” Ross is looking only at this term for now, but when asked if the stay could be extended, he said: “It’s a possibility. “We have him for a season initially and if everything goes as well as we hope for both sides, it’s something that could be.” Scott’s capture completed a pleasing week for Ross who has also secured a new deal for Martin Boyle, with Doidge also in talks over an extension. Ross said: “There will be activity, in and out, and that should let us shape the squad in a positive way.”