Former Celtic star Kris Commons has dismissed talk of an England call-up for Ryan Kent as “pie in the sky”.
The former Liverpool winger has been in fine form at the start of the Scottish Premiership season, prompting suggestions that the Ibrox man could be on Gareth Southgate’s radar.
But Commons has dismissed the idea given the talent already available to the England boss, but says that should be no slight on Kent and saw it happen before to a former Celtic teammate.
He wrote in the Daily Mail: "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-the-sky 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."
