The Rangers midfielder was delighted to see the winger return to Ibrox before the deadline expired.
Kent was a deadline day arrival to Steven Gerrard’s squad after a summer saga that seemed destined to result in the player remaining stuck in the Liverpool reserves until January at least.
The money men eventually came up with the right deal to complete his permanent signing, delighting Rangers fans and giving the entire club a lift in the wake of derby defeat.
Halliday is as happy as anyone to see him return after last season’s loan, revealing he was in contact with the player during the summer months.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he explained: “We are all so happy to have him. I was probably guilty of pestering him during the summer. We spoke about it and I knew the quality he had from last year.
“So if we had the opportunity to get a player of his calibre back then, of course, we are going to push it as much as we can.
“We are lucky that he wanted to come back as well and we are fortunate to have him.”
Great expectations
Given the fee involved in Kent’s signing, there is far more expectation on his shoulders this season compared to last.
He’ll need to improve his direct goal contributions, both in terms of finding the back of the net and assisting his teammates. Last season he managed to score six and set-up ten.
However, having his game visibility got better over the course of last season and Gerrard is clearly confident that upward trajectory will continue this term.
There’s no doubt he has the faith of everyone at Ibrox, as Halliday’s comments prove.
That should give him the confidence to succeed in a Gers shirt this season, even if his initial 2019/20 impact has suffered a setback because of injury.
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