Following on from our appraisal of Sheyi Ojo’s efforts, next in our series of Rangers Half-Term Reports is fellow winger, Ryan Kent.
After months of speculation, Kent finally joined Rangers on a permanent deal for a whopping £7.5 million on Deadline Day [Sky Sports], much to the delight of many supporters.
His late arrival meant that he missed Rangers’ entire Europa League qualifying campaign and the start of the Premiership season, and there was plenty of hype by the time his second debut came around against Livingston in mid-September.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go to plan. A gutted Kent was forced off before half-time due to a hamstring injury, which would see him miss just over a month of action.
His return was gradual, with Steven Gerrard keen to prevent a recurrence of the muscle problem, and Kent felt his way back in with a series of substitute appearances.
Since he regained full fitness in November, though, he’s been a near ever-present in the team.
Last season, whilst on loan in Glasgow, he quickly became a fan favourite but scored just six goals and registered nine assists in 43 appearances [Transfermarkt].
After the club shelled out their second-biggest transfer fee of all-time to bring him in permanently, though, he knew his end product had to improve.
And it has.
The first goal of his second stint in Light Blue was a screamer away at Hamilton. Cutting in from the right, he sent a stunning left-footed strike into the top left corner to give the Gers a 2-1 lead.
Following an indifferent first 40 minutes, it was a stunning piece of execution, the type of goal which, of all the players at the club, arguably only he could have produced.
He capped off that day with a well-taken second, before netting the following weekend against Hearts.
Not every display has been influential. For example, he struggled in the League Cup final and in the Europa League home clash against Young Boys.
However, with his confidence restored, there have been more good days than bad days, both as a goalscorer and as a creator.
He produced a fine assist away at Feyenoord, scored a crucial opener at Hibernian and last, but certainly not least, produced under pressure once again at Celtic Park.
Latching onto Borna Barisic’s cutback, he whipped home an excellent finish in the first half of the momentum-shifting December Old Firm, setting his side en route to a victory.
In sum, then, it was a delayed start to the campaign for Kent, who was then sidelined by an injury. Since his recovery, he hasn’t been flawless, but he has often shown the X-Factor Gerrard was searching for.
Kent is a big game player and with five goals and three assists in 18 outings, he’s already well on his way to passing last season’s underwhelming tallies.
