Brian Laudrup backs Giovanni van Bronckhorst decision to drop Ryan Kent from Rangers starting lineup
Ryan Kent was rightly dropped by Giovanni van Bronckhorst after playing “on his name” with recent performances for Rangers, says Brian Laudrup.
The Gers winger was left out of the Rangers side that beat St Mirren at the weekend, with Fashion Sakala replacing him in the side after a string of poor performances so far this season.
And writing in his his column with the Daily Mail [11 October], Laudrup has admitted that he agrees with the manager’s decision but does expect him to return for the huge clash with Liverpool at Ibrox on Wednesday as he tries to get a reaction from him.
“I’d be very surprised if Ryan Kent didn’t return to the line-up after being left out against St Mirren but it’s clear van Bronckhorst is trying to stir a reaction,” he said.
“His comments last Friday about needing more from Kent were interesting.
“I can’t disagree. I’ve spoken so much about the winger’s ability. We can all look back at big games in Europe over past seasons when he has been a huge influence.
“Right now, though, he’s perhaps playing more on his name than anything else.
“Van Bronckhorst said he’s had conversations with Kent about the positions he takes up on the pitch and so on. That’s notable. I’ve said before that Kent has become a little bit lost in terms of how he sees games.
“He makes wrong decisions and is not getting into enough areas where he can actually hurt teams.
“It’s such a shame because we know the depth of Kent’s talent. Whether it’s about confidence or something else, Van Bronckhorst has decided now is the time to try a slightly different approach with him.”
Poor
Kent is one of the very best players in the country when he’s playing at the top of his game, but we’re yet to see him reach that level so far this season.
It’s hard to deny that the fact he’s entered the final year of his contract with Rangers and the likelihood of a move to the Premier League means his head has turned his head, but that’s unacceptable.
Kent is still a Rangers player until he isn’t, and he needs to get his head down and work hard to show why he deserves a move to England if that’s what his end goal is currently.
He can start by shining against Liverpool, one of the world’s best teams, and proving that he can do it at the highest level in a way he did similarly against Borussia Dortmund in last season’s Europa League.
Laudrup has backed the decision to drop him and if he manages to get back in the side he must find a way to prove he deserves to stay there, because patience is wearing thin at Ibrox with the Rangers fans.
In other Rangers news, a Sky Sports pundit is backing Rangers to give Liverpool a tough game on Wednesday