Rangers hero Kenny Miller has urged winger Ryan Kent to get back to his best if he is to succeed at Ibrox - which will be more achievable if he opts to sign a new deal before his contract runs out at the end of the season.
Rangers paid Liverpool a fee of £7m for Kent back in 2019 following a successful loan spell under then-boss Steven Gerrard. The Oldham-born winger had had a run of spells away from the Anfield outfit before finding his home in Glasgow, since making 180 appearances for the side from Govan.
But with a poor return of goals last season and Gio van Bronckhorst's men being off the pace over the course of September, many have raised doubts as to whether Kent is stalling in his progression - including Miller. But whilst the former Celtic and Rangers hero has acknowledged the fact that Kent has not been at his best recently, a new contract in the coming weeks could stoke the fire that was there for all to see as his brilliance won Rangers the Premiership title in 2020/21.
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"If I was Giovanni van Bronckhorst or the Rangers board, I’d start by getting him tied down on a new long-term contract," Miller told the Sunday Mail in his column.
"That might surprise a few people given his and the team’s current form. But, with just eight months left on his deal, the club simply can’t afford to willingly allow a player of his ability and value to walk out the door for nothing. First and foremost, they have to protect their asset. Remember, Rangers invested £7million in Kent in 2019. That was a lot of money for a young player with limited experience.
"But Steven Gerrard knew his potential. The board put their trust in his judgement and that’s why they paid out the biggest transfer fee for a player in 15 years. So now, they should be doing everything in their power to ensure he doesn’t leave for free. Obviously, Kent has to want to stay. If he commits he can get his head right, forget about any potential moves away and get back to his best form. There has been constant debate about Kent since he arrived from Liverpool.
"Overall, has he been a good signing? Undoubtedly. His natural talent isn’t in question. But I’ll tell you what, there is still so much more he can give to this Rangers team. And the glaring omission from his game is goals. And when you’re at Rangers you’ll always be compared to players on the other side of the city. Jota and Liel Abada have really caught the eye for Celtic since they arrived in Glasgow.
"They’ve provided goals, assists and a constant threat from wide areas. Kent’s goal stats simply haven’t been good enough. His biggest goal return in a campaign at Rangers so far is 13, in 2020/21. Last season he played 46 games and scored just three. When you’re playing almost every minute of every game for a club like Rangers, that’s not enough. So he has to contribute more. He’s at an age now, 25, when Rangers need to see it. He’s not a young, inexperienced winger any more. Kent should know exactly what Rangers demand from him. He has to impact games more on a consistent basis. We see flashes of brilliance from him – but other periods when he goes missing. So you’re probably wondering why I’d do everything to keep him at Ibrox.
"Well, by signing a new deal, the club will at least recoup some of the money they paid for him when he moves on. And by committing his future to Rangers, Kent can concentrate fully on playing to the best of his ability – and bringing success to the club. He’s got huge games to look forward to – like a Champions League double-header against his old club. And that’s the main reason for keeping him. He DOES have the ability to be a fantastic player. He’s already shown that. When he was ripping Borussia Dortmund apart away from home in the Europa League, top clubs would have sat up and taken notice. When you think of Rangers’ top five players, or assets, Kent is one of them.
"For van Bronckhorst’s team to be at their best, they probably need their three key players to be playing well. James Tavernier is one, Alfredo Morelos is one – and Kent is the other. And if he can get back to his best at Rangers in the next few years, a big move will come. He’s seen it happening with a few of his mates like Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey and Nathan Patterson.
"It’s in his hands. If Kent is happy to stay at Rangers, I think the club will happily re-sign him. When it comes to assists, his numbers are good. He got 19 last season, which is terrific, and he’s already at three this term. Top level teams are wary of Kent, we’ve seen that in Europe recently. Is he capable of scoring the amount of goals that Jota and Abada get for Celtic?
"They’ve already got four and six respectively. That’s already more than Kent got last season. So, until this point, you’d have to say no. But it’s down to him. Against Hibs at Easter Road this season, he showed incredible wing play to get in the box and it was all there for him to shoot and score.
"But he took an extra touch to try and go past another man – and the opportunity was gone. That’s what he has to improve on. This season, I’ve noticed that he IS trying to get in the box more and get on the end of things. But to score goals, you need to have instinct. And it’s about gambling. Kent has to do that more. Celtic’s wide players are trained to make diagonal movements into the box, just like Abada did in the Old Firm game a few weeks ago.
"Rangers’ structure is different. But Kent can still do more to anticipate chances in the box. It might not happen for him nine times out of 10. But that one time could win you a game. And it’s something that Gio and his coaching staff can work on. It will be something that’s been discussed in training. It’s a frustration because when it comes to talent and technique, he’s better than Abada, James Forrest or Daizen Maeda at Celtic.
"And he’s certainly on a par with Jota, in terms of ability. But those players look hungrier to score goals. It’s a non-negotiable that they attack the box. Rangers and Kent aren’t doing that right now. But that doesn’t mean you let a £7m signing walk out the door."
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