Frank McAvennie has labelled Ryan Kent as the “biggest failure” at Rangers after spotting recent issues with his attitude.
The 25-year-old was rested for last weekend’s visit of St Mirren, starting the match on the bench ahead of a crunch European clash for the Gers on Wednesday night.
The Reds academy graduate started at Anfield in last week’s return fixture against Liverpool before coming off after 81 minutes.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst claimed that the winger needs to “bring more” as he challenged him to match his talent with consistency in games.
However, having watched last week’s Champions League clash, McAvennie had a much more critical approach.
He told Football Insider: “The biggest failure, for me, is Kent.
“He is getting criticised now and the light is getting shone on him.
“Last week against Liverpool, Salah knocked him off the ball and he never chased him. I’m thinking that is not right.
“I always thought Kent was a wonderful player with great ability, but nobody is going to touch him, certainly in the Premier League, with attitudes like that. You have to have the attitude to bust a gut to get the ball back.“
TIF Thoughts on Kent and Rangers…
Was Ryan Kent better when playing under Steven Gerrard?Yes
No
|
After three goals and 19 assists in all competitions last season, the £18k-per-week ace has been directly involved in five goals across seven Scottish Premiership appearances this term.
In terms of working off the ball, he ranks among the top 15% of attacking midfielders and wingers throughout Europe for tackles per 90 minutes over the past year, according to FBref.
However, almost half of his positional peers across the continent have averaged more pressures per 90 and interceptions in that period.
And with his contract up at the end of the campaign, perhaps Kent’s heart isn’t completely in it at present. It will be interesting to see how his situation develops and if he can get back to top form.