STEVEN Gerrard has insisted he has been satisfied with the form of his £6.5 million signing Ryan Kent – but is still looking for an improvement from the Rangers winger in the second half of the season.
Kent, who joined the Ibrox club from Liverpool at the start of September, has scored goals in games against Hibernian, Celtic and Hearts in his last couple of months.
However, many fans feel the 23-year-old, who was sidelined through injury for over a month after arriving, has struggled for consistency at times during the 2019/20 campaign.
Gerrard, who had the player on loan in Govan last term, feels his big money acquisition would have benefitted from having a proper pre-season and he predicted that more is to come from the former England Under-20 internationalist in the weeks and months ahead.
"He's already beaten last season's tally for goals and assists by the end of January, so we're very pleased with where his numbers are at,” he said.
“I'll always strive for the best Ryan Kent, whether he's in top form or indifferent form. He's one of our best players. It's vital that he stays fit and healthy because he's going to be a big help to us from now till the end of the season.
“We always knew with Ryan, the reason we were so keen to pay the money for him, was he was always capable of improving his numbers and the signs are that he's going to do that.
"He wants to continue to make these fans happy. At his age and the position he plays, it's almost natural at times that he tries too hard in certain situations, but he's not the only one.”
Gerrard added: “Ryan's doing just fine. His numbers are already better than last season and he's had one of the worst pre-seasons you could have in terms of not knowing where he's going to be then coming back.
“The part that I have to play is probably being too keen to get him in and he got the injury. There's no doubt about it, Ryan Kent's going to contribute heavily to this team for the remainder of this season and moving forward.”
Gerrard dismissed suggestions that Kent, who has spent loan spells at Coventry, Barnsley, Frieburg and Bristol City as well as Rangers in the last five years, has been affected by the size of his transfer fee.
“I don't think he's bothered about that,” he said. “He's not one of these people who thinks about that stuff. He just wants to play football, to create and score goals.
“It is different for him now because for a long time he probably didn't know if he was coming or going at Liverpool.
“Is he going on loan, is the manager keeping him for pre-season to give him an opportunity? He's probably been all over the place from a mental point of view.
“But this is his home now, he's settled. His numbers are good, but we want him to get better and keep improving. Ryan's in a good place.”
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