Hibernian manager Paul Heckingbottom has tipped Premier League giants Liverpool to take a look at Ryan Kent in pre-season after seeing him impress during his loan spell at Rangers.
The new man in charge at Hibs knows the Gers loanee well after having him on loan at former club Barnsley and has seen similarities to the way he played with the Tykes as he is in Glasgow this season.
Insisting the Rangers mainstay will just be looking for regular game time, he tipped the Anfield outfit to take a chance on him in the first team over summer before deciding whether to sell, loan or keep him.
He told the Daily Record: “We (Barnsley) were on the same page as Liverpool and that’s how we got him, because we identified his strengths and what we thought were his weaknesses and how we could look to improve them.
“Liverpool were happy with that and I would think it would be similar at Rangers and how he’s playing. He’s probably playing a little bit narrower than he did with us, with a licence to come in field a lot more, but I know that’s something Liverpool were keen for him to work on. I’m sure there will be a plan for Ryan and he will be involved in that with his representatives and Liverpool.”
“He’s a really good kid. Knowing him, Ryan will just want to play. That could mean another loan or a permanent move or it could be as part of the Liverpool squad because I think they will definitely have another look at him when he goes back in pre-season.”
Opinion
Kent has been one of the Gers’ stand out performers this season and there will no doubt be intrigue as to how much he has developed over the past year at Anfield. However, it is a massive step from the Scottish top flight to the Premier League and if Kent thinks he has a chance of becoming a first team regular any time soon, he is dreaming. The fact of the matter is he is still lacking in some areas of his game and could do with playing at a higher level on a constant basis to help push his career in the right direction. Maybe another Premier League side or even a promotion chasing Championship outfit would be willing to take the risk but if not he could even try and follow the likes of Jadon Sancho in moving abroad. Either way, he has proven himself at Ibrox and there is little doubting he will impress wherever he might end up next.