Peterborough United pulled off something of a coup by attracting Jason Cummings to London Road, but Aitor Karanka hasn't closed the door on a return to the City Ground.

Cummings was seemingly out of favour under Karanka, having only joined Forest from Hibernian 12 months ago.

A loan spell with Rangers failed to conclude in a permanent deal, instead League One Posh have offered the young striker a chance at redemption.

Karanka has now issue a message to the 22-year-old, telling him exactly what is required of him during his loan spell at London Road.

“We want him to show what he can do. Sometimes it is good for a player to realise that it is not always easy,” Karanka told Nottingham Live. “He went to Rangers at the start of the year and he was scoring goals to begin with. But by the end Rangers did not want him, so he came back here. Maybe his expectations were higher. But at the end of it he has to go to League One."

Cummings was also the subject of interest from Sunderland, but in the end it was Steve Evans that lured the previously prolific player down into League One. Karanka concluded by leaving the door open, if Cummings works hard.

“Life in football can be difficult, you have to work hard to take the right steps (forward).”

The Verdict

Cummings was prolific at Hibernian and you don't lose that over the course of a single season.

It seemed as though Karanka didn't fancy him from day one, but his recent comments suggest there might be an opening for the Scot, if he does well.

Peterborough will offer him a level of football comparable with his Hibernian experience, suggesting he could be a massive hit in the third-tier next season.

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