Bristol City boss Johnson backs Ryan Kent to have ‘big season’ for Rangers next term
Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has backed Ryan Kent to have a “big season” for Rangers next term.
The 23-year-old made his loan deal from Liverpool to Ibrox permanent last summer, but has struggled to hit the heights that saw him win the Scottish PFA’s Young Player of the Year award in 2018/19.
The wide man has registered just eight goals and four assists in 33 outings for the Gers this season.
But Johnson, who previously worked with the winger during a prior loan spell with Bristol City in 2018, has backed him to come good for the Glaswegian giants.
Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “I’m certain that Ryan can get better and have a big season for Rangers this year. He’s still a young player, you have to remember that.
“Rangers are an unbelievable club, who are trying to close that gap on Celtic.
“And you can see signs of it at various different times. Ryan now has to take his game to the next level.
“He’s got a very good manager in Steven and one that really believes in him, which is important. Ryan will feel that belief.”
How influential can Kent be for the Gers?
We know exactly how influential he can be because we’ve seen it first hand ourselves.
Kent was seriously impressive during his first season in Scotland and fully justified the £6.5 million or so that was splashed out on securing him on a permanent basis.
The strange thing is that in some respects his form hasn’t dropped too much at all either.
As per Wyscout, his dribble success rate has gone up by 1.6% this season compared to last, while his pass completion rate has fallen by just 0.1%.
Crucially, however, his end product has been lacking.
Kent’s shot accuracy has fallen bu 11.1% this season, while his crossing accuracy has also dropped.
Ultimately, that has been the difference this season, and the sooner the winger can recapture the form he showed when he first moved to Ibrox, the better for everybody.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton claims postponing Rangers v Celtic next term would risk ‘opening up a can of worms’.