Ryan Kent’s display against Dundee was exactly what the Rangers supporters have been waiting for.
Since his arrival at Ibrox, Kent has shown glimpses of his talent. A player with extremely quick feet and general pace, he’s a real raw talent of the highest calibre.
The on-loan Liverpool man has been entrusted with carrying the Rangers threat down the left side. The injury to Jamie Murphy has ensured that Kent is now the main source of inspiration down that flank.
Sure, the left-sided star has been impressive. He’s shown an ability to get forward and a lack of fear so far, but we had yet to see the breakthrough performance. We even tried to predict when it would arrive on certain occasions.
There’s no denying, however, that it most certainly did on Saturday.
Kent’s first Rangers goal was on a day to remember for Steven Gerrard, as he bagged his first real convincing win as Gers manager. Kent was a star-man in this showing. He was always looking to get forward, and his work with Borna Barisic looks like it’ll prove fruitful in the future.
His directness and sheer pace absolutely destroyed Dundee. On his day, Kent has the ability to make even the deepest of defences unlock. He’s going to be a hugely influential player this season if he can continue in this same vein.
Supporters have already queued up to praise him, and rightly so given the responsibility now on his shoulders.
His big challenge now is to bring some consistency to his game in the coming weeks. After all, in order to be a success at Rangers, you have to deliver the goods week-in, week-out.
The better Rangers get under Gerrard, the deeper teams will sit in against the Ibrox side. This is when Kent is going to be of real value. If Rangers are to win the league or even mount a decent challenge, they’ll need someone to unlock this kind of side.
Glenn Middleton is in reserve if necessary, but the responsibility is on Kent to deliver on a consistent basis.
Dundee was the breakthrough performance, something everyone’s been waiting for. Now, however, the challenge gets even greater as he looks to build on it.
