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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Ben Banks

Ryan Kent told post Rangers best he can hope for is Burnley transfer as pundit delivers withering assessment

He has the ability to feature for a side pushing for Europe - but Tam McManus reckons inconsistency means Ryan Kent will have to work his way up the ladder in England after Rangers.

The winger has brought mixed reviews this season and looks set to leave for nothing after four permanent years when his contract expires this summer. He's scored three goals with eights assists in the Premiership this season, having scored just twice with 10 assists last term. It's been reported that Burnley - who have been promoted to the Premier League - have ramped up their efforts to sign him and Record Sport columnist McManus insists a high-end Championship side are amongst the best he can hope for right now.

While he rates his ability as having potential to push towards a club like Tottenham Hotspur, not having enough end product or consistency at Rangers is proving key. The pundit told PLZ: "If you are purely judging him on goals and assists, which a lot of people do now, I don't think he's been great. But I think he is a very good football player, it is a weird one. Sometimes I look at him and he looks electric, he goes past people and you get off your seat.

"Then you are back in your seat quickly. He's one of those players who gets you off your seat but you're back on it in two seconds because he's put it over the bar or crossed it in and hit the first man. A top end Championship club or a club like Burnley getting promoted is the peak of where he is going to get to. He is a very good player and he started well, maybe Burnley or whoever it is in England will get a better tune out him in terms of goals and assists.

"But he's going down to play against better players in a harder league. He's 26 and should be coming into the peak years of his career and his end product has to be better. For the level of ability he has, he should be in the top three or four every season for Player of the Year every season, and he hasn't.

"If you said to me who the best is in the Rangers squad, or who is the most talented, I'd say Ryan Kent every day of the week. But he doesn't do it every week and that is why he is going to a Burnley and not a Spurs, Aston Villa, somebody like that."

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