Gary McAllister discusses Ryan Kent’s current Rangers form

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The Ibrox winger hasn’t been quite at his expected best at Rangers so far this season.

Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister has been discussing the form of winger Ryan Kent, defending him against any criticism that may have come his way in recent matches, The Scottish Sun report.

Kent returned to Ibrox this season for a reported £7m fee (BBC), which is a monster amount of money in Scottish football.

That kind of price tag has meant there’s been a lot of scrutiny of his performances and he hasn’t quite hit the heights expected of him.

Some Gers supporters criticised both his display against Young Boys on Thursday night and against Motherwell today.

For McAllister though, it’s all about staying patient with the player and letting him know he has incredible support in place from his coaches and teammates, that can help ease any pressure on his shoulders.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said prior to the trip to Fir Park: “If there’s a point where he thinks he has to do it all, it might be a case of us resetting his mind. It’s a team game. He has demands put on him because we know his levels, but he can’t be carrying everything.

“He’s got loads of allies here, loads of guys who have worked with him down south since he was younger. They know him far better than I do.

“Sometimes players think it’s their job to carry everything. But it’s up to us as a management group to tell him it’s a team game, not about one or two individuals.”

Should Rangers fans expect more?

It’s important to remember that Kent has had his fair share of fitness and injury problems this season. That’s undoubtedly had an impact on the way he’s been able to go about his return to Ibrox.

He’s also created assists in the Gers’ last two European encounters – helping secure points that have proved crucial to their progression.

However, if he’s to live up to his multi-million-pound player status, then he needs to directly contribute to goals more often.

At points recently it’s as if he’s trying too hard to force a bit of magic. He isn’t playing with the freedom that defined the second half of his 2018/19 season.

With the right support, he should hit a rich vein of form, but Rangers fans will be hoping that comes sooner rather than later.