End of Season Report: Ryan Kent

Following on from Daniel Candeias, it’s time to take a look at fan favourite, Ryan Kent.
Few knew what to expect when the 22-year-old joined on a season-long loan from Liverpool in August.

Kent took part in pre-season for the Reds before switching to Ibrox. (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)

It was his fifth stint away from Anfield and he had shown potential elsewhere without lighting it up.
While his pace and trickery excited Bears from the off, it took him a while to find his feet at Ibrox.
Injuries didn’t help his cause, either. Two separate hamstring problems saw him miss most of November and a chunk of December.
However, just after Christmas, he came of age in a Rangers shirt. The winger tortured Mikael Lustig at Ibrox and set up Ryan Jack’s winner as Celtic’s Old Firm dominance was finally ended.

Kent soaks up the acclaim of the Ibrox crowd. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

He picked up where he left off, too, netting in consecutive weeks after the winter break against Livingston and St Mirren.
In March, he put in another memorable Old Firm display, this time at Parkhead. Despite the Gers going down to 10-men, he ran the Hoops defence ragged and scored a top class goal.
Kent’s stats don’t particularly stand out. He netted six goals and registered as many assists in 27 SPL matches. In a further 16 appearances in other competitions, he failed to score.

Given his talent, he should be scoring more regularly. (photo by Vagelis Georgariou/Action Plus via Getty Images)

However, as evidenced by his PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, his general performances were excellent. He brought an X Factor to Gerrard’s side that would have been lacking in his absence.
That’s why the manager is desperate to bring him back to Ibrox for 2019/20. He’s said he will do everything in his power to get his man [Scotsman] and according to a Daily Mail report, he’s closing in on success.
This was a breakout season for Kent, who got fans off their seats with regularity. There’s no doubt his end product needs to improve, but given another campaign at Ibrox, he could help bring silverware back to the club.