Matthew Lindsay
STEVEN Gerrard last night predicted Ryan Kent will go from strength to strength after the Rangers winger scored his first goals since his £7 million move from Liverpool in the 3-1 win over Hamilton.
Gerrard described Kent’s first strike at the Fountain of Youth Stadium as “world class” after a victory which kept the Ibrox club level on points with Celtic at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table.
The 23-year-old spent over a month out injured after returning to Scotland in September and has been unable to reproduce the scintillating form which he showed on loan last year.
READ MORE: Five things we learned from Rangers' 3-1 win over Hamilton
But his manager, whose team take on Feyenoord in a crucial Europa League match in Rotterdam on Thursday evening, is confident his summer signing will become more influential in the coming weeks.
“I thought he was terrific today for large parts of the game,” said Gerrard. “His first goal was an absolute world class strike. In any game, if you score a goal like that on your so-called weak side, you deserve a lot of credit for it.
“The second one was a composed finish which we have been working on a lot with him. That’s what he’s got to keep doing, providing those moments which help his team-mates get maximum points.
READ MORE: Ryan Jack says the Rangers side that faces Feyenoord have same pressures of Dick Advocaat's era
“I know everyone will get excited about his two goals today, he will get the headlines and rightly so.
“But we still have to be patient with him because he is still searching for match fitness and sharpness, 100 per cent being at it. They are his own words.
“So once we get him a little bit more tuned in and sharper, you will see more moments and displays like today. That’s the exact reason we were desperate to get the deal done - he is an important player to us.”
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