Inside the Jason Cummings reinvention as Hibs boss Nick Montgomery lifts lid on man management

He was the man that helped Jason Cummings reinvent his playing career Down Under. Now Nick Montgomery has revealed the former Hibee helped HIM take the chance to move his career onto a new level in Leith.

Montgomery rolled into town as the new boss at Easter Road yesterday after a sensational season in which he led Central Coast Mariners to the Australian title. The 41-year-old has been lauded for the man management style that turned a side assembled on the lowest budget in the A-League into Aussie champions. It’s a feat which means his stock couldn’t have been any higher when Hibs came calling two weeks ago.

No character in that Mariners squad better demonstrates the 41-year-old’s ability to transform the fortunes of misfiring players than Cummings. The striker was in the doldrums at Dundee, suspended for a breach of discipline after attending an Open Goal live event without permission and struggling for form after a big money move from Hibs to Nottingham Forest had failed to work out.

Montgomery himself admits the 28-year-old was “down and out” and in desperate need of someone to show belief in his ability when he offered a career lifeline in New South Wales.

Cummings took it. And has never looked back. In 18 months he struck 31 goals in 50 appearances including a hat-trick as the Mariners thrashed Melbourne City to win the A-League Grand Final in June. His performances won him a place at the World Cup with Australia and a big money move to Mohun Bagan where he is now India’s highest paid footballer.

And Montgomery said: “Jason has sent me plenty of messages when he heard about this job. He really loves the club. He told me when the interest came that if I get the opportunity it’s a fantastic club. It’s a real family