Ryan Kent’s return to Rangers’ starting XI at the weekend, was heralded as a huge moment.
The 21-year-old, on-loan from Liverpool, lit up Rangers’ early season performances. His energy and creativity gave a breath of fresh air to the left flank, causing headaches for right-backs across the country.
He notched three goals and an assist, including strikes in consecutive matches against Hearts and Hamilton. However, a hamstring injury sustained at the beginning of last month, ensured he missed six weeks of action.
On Sunday, he seemed to return at just the right time, to inject some spark after a poor Gers performance against Aberdeen.
Yet, we did speculate on the wisdom of throwing the youngster in from the start after such a long lay-off. His withdrawal at half-time worried the fans, and in tonight’s press conference, Steven Gerrard confirmed their fears.
The winger will miss several weeks of action with another hamstring issue. Thankfully, it’s not the same leg as the initial problem, as that would indicate a potential permanent weakness.
However, the news does suggest that Gerrard shouldn’t have rushed the winger back to action. His continued absence over a busy December period, is a major blow to a side competing on several fronts.
The Gers will have to soldier on without their loan star, and hope that Glenn Middleton can step up to the challenge in his stead.