Ryan Kent’s goal against Hearts maybe wasn’t a sublime piece of skill, but is he now oficially Rangers’ MVP?
The Rangers winger opened the scoring with a tap-in after receiving a square ball in the 3-1 win at Ibrox this afternoon. It was a defensive plan that back-fired hugely on the Hearts rearguard, but Kent took full advantage with his calm finish.
The goal wasn’t the only thing Kent contributed to the side this afternoon. The Englishman once again showed all of his skill to tease Michael Smith all game before the Hearts man’s sending off.
As usual, the on-loan Liverpool man was one of the standouts in a thoroughly impressive Rangers performance. It’s difficult to pick out one or two top performers given that the whole team were terrific against Hearts. Kent, however, was right up there with another lively display.
When you think about Ibrox in full-flow and a Rangers team at their best, Kent symbolises that. His pace, energy, and skillset are exactly the kind of attributes that Rangers fans want to see at Ibrox.
Kent has it all
As a young star making his way in the game, the winger has it all. He’s now shot himself to first-choice left-winger by some considerable margin this afternoon. This isn’t just down to Jamie Murphy’s injury alone, either. If Murphy was fit, it wouldn’t surprise you if Kent still played his way to first choice down the left.
Daniel Candeias on the right is another player with plenty of energy, but he doesn’t have the same footballing qualities as Kent. Arfield is another tidy player and really coming into his own at Ibrox. Again, however, he doesn’t have that same ability to light up Ibrox the way his left-winger does.
At the moment, it feels like he’s Rangers MVP. An argument can be made for Alfredo Morelos being just that considering his red-hot form. Being truthful, however, Morelos wouldn’t get anywhere near the goals or be in the mood he’s in without Kent’s ability to unlock the opposition defence.
With the on-loan star confirming this morning that he wants to make his loan-stay at Ibrox permanent, Rangers have to be all over that. As it stands, a potential fee of £2million looks a steal. If Kent continues to perform at that level, however, Liverpool may consider bumping up that fee.
It’s exciting to see what else Kent has to give in the season ahead. He’ll play in most if not all of Rangers’ big games this season. From the early glimpses, it also looks like he’ll be running defences ragged too.
