KENT IS STILL A LONG WAY FROM AN ENGLAND CALL-UP
READ KRIS COMMONS: PAGE 16
RYAN KENT for England. It’s an interesting theory which certainly got plenty of tongues wagging over the weekend. But the chances of it actually happening any time soon? Well, that’s another matter.
Listen, I really like him as a player. On his day, he’s got that little bit of X-Factor about him and he can destroy teams like he did against Willem II in the Europa League last week.
But I’m sorry, I think he’d probably need to summon the powers of his namesake Clark Kent to muscle his way into the current England setup.
Who is he going to displace? Raheem Sterling? Jadon Sancho? Marcus Rashford? I think it’s fanciful in the extreme to think he’s anywhere near that sort of level yet.
England boss Gareth Southgate has an abundance of wide players at his disposal, all of whom are playing at a much higher level than Kent.
The notion that he might call up a Rangers player is pie-in-thesky stuff. That’s not in any way intended as a criticism of our league.
It’s just a reality of how it’s viewed by a lot of people down south. Trust me, I’ve seen this movie before during my time at Celtic with Gary Hooper.
Hooper was banging in the goals for fun across three seasons at Celtic Park — and doing it in the Champions League. Yet, still, he could hardly get a sniff with England.
I felt a bit sorry for Gary McAllister and the way he was ridiculed on social media for tipping Kent for a call-up. Ultimately, he was only answering a question put to him by a journalist.
Beyond his chances at international level, though, there’s one thing about Kent which is no longer in any doubt. He’s now the main man at Rangers.
I’ve been impressed by the way in which he has gone through the gears this season and elevated his game on to a new level.
His all-round game was absolutely outstanding in Holland last week. He’s making the difference on a consistent basis for Steven Gerrard’s side.
Kent now has five goals and five assists in ten games so far in all competitions this season. That’s night and day to the sort of numbers he was producing last term.
Last time around, he managed eight goals and four assists in 34 games. On current form, he won’t just eclipse those numbers — he’ll absolutely obliterate them.
Kent has arguably been the best player in Scotland so far this season, so it’s no surprise he should be attracting interest from the likes of Leeds United.
Given the transfer saga surrounding Alfredo Morelos and the way he’s been in and out of the team, Kent has now moved past him in the pecking order.
He’s the club’s best player. Morelos is no longer the prized asset in the same way that he was perhaps six months ago. Kent has now taken that title.
Look at it this way. If bids come in for them over the next week or so before the end of the window, who would command the higher transfer fee?
For me, it would be Kent all day long. For starters, he’s produced in the big games against Celtic — and that’s a box which Morelos has never been able to tick.
His attitude is also far better than what we’ve seen from Morelos. Just look at the way Kent has knuckled down and proved his critics wrong from last season.
There was a lot of pressure on his shoulders following his £7million move from Liverpool. But he has grown and matured from the boy who first walked through the door at Ibrox.
He’s not the same daft young boy who was throwing punches at Scott Brown once upon a time. He’s now the one player Rangers dare not sell — and they’ll be relying on him again on Thursday against Galatasaray.
The Turks are a big name in European football. They are a step up from Willem II and have real quality and experience in Radamel Falcao up front and former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona star Arda Turan pulling the strings in midfield.
But I actually think Rangers have beaten better teams in Europe over these past couple of years. It’s certainly not a game they should go into with any fear.
If Kent can weave his magic once again and lead Rangers into the Europa League group stage, it will only further cement his status as the club’s new star man.