Rangers’ Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos can secure Premier League moves vs Liverpool – BBC pundit
Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos can secure moves to the Premier League if they perform for Rangers against Liverpool in the Champions League says Kenny Miller.
The Ibrox pair both have contracts that are inside the final 12 months, and the BBC pundit has tipped them to use the “shop window” of a game at Anfield in the top club competition to drum up interest for their next destinations respectively.
The Gers go into the game having lost their first two games in the group by a combined scored of 7-0 against Ajax and Napoli, but after a morale-boosting 4-0 win at Hearts on Saturday (1 October), where both Morelos and Kent scored late goals, there might be an opportunity at a result in England, especially after Jurgen Klopp’s side dropped more points with a 3-3 draw against Brighton on the same day.
In his Daily Record column on Sunday (2 October) he said: “For Morelos and Ryan Kent in particular – both heading out of contract – this is a shop window for them.
“If they want a big move, performing well in this type of game can get them it, not just turning it on against Dundee United or Ross County. It’s a game against Europe’s elite so go and showcase your talent.
“What better game against [Virgil] van Dijk is there for Alfredo to prove how good he is? If Morelos or Kent have ambitions of playing in the Premier League, what an opportunity they have over the next two games at Anfield and Ibrox.
“But they’re up against the best team in the group. I still believe that, despite Liverpool’s defeat at Napoli.”
Prove it
Football Insider reported on 1 October that former Anfield winger Kent has turned down a new deal at Ibrox because he wants a move to the English top flight, while talks with Morelos were shelved after his disciplinary issue earlier in the season.
Both have been key during their time in Glasgow and have been frequently linked with transfers elsewhere, but the pair will need to prove they are up to scratch if they want a lucrative move.
Although he was recovering from an injury at the time there was apparently no real market for the Colombian striker during the summer despite exhibiting some of his best form after the arrival of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and he has not been a popular figure for much of the time since his return.
At the same time, questions have been asked of Kent’s output as the goalscoring returns of Celtic counterparts Jota and Liel Abada are increasingly held up to suggest he has flattered to deceive.
If they are both to leave the Gers at the end of the year it will be better for the players and the club that they perform well in the time they have left.
Miller is right that doing so on a Champions League night at Anfield is sure to catch the attention, so with the likes of van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold under the microscope defensively at the moment the potential is there to secure a result for the Light Blues and get themselves noticed.
In other Rangers news, a cynical cash grab has alienated the fans in the middle of a cost of living crisis.