On-loan Reds youngster Leighton Clarkson has claimed that Rangers winger Ryan Kent has been brilliant since leaving Liverpool in 2019.
Clarkson is spending the season in Scotland with Aberdeen. His temporary side have just been drawn against Kent’s Rangers in the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup. And speaking to Aberdeen Live about the draw, Clarkson highlighted a reunion with Kent as reason to look forward to it.
Brilliant. Probably the draw that I was hoping for the most to be fair. I know how big the rivalry is between Aberdeen and Rangers. So, I’m looking forward to it,” said the 21-year-old.
“I had probably about a season or so when we [Clarkson and Kent] were in and around the under-23s. So yeah, I got to know him quite well and since he’s come up here, he’s been very good from what I’ve seen, but hopefully on that day he’s not.”
Kent fails to show Liverpool what they’ve been missing
Many at Anfield would have been looking forward to seeing Kent return to the club where he grew up in this season’s Champions League.
The now 25-year-old spent 11 years at Liverpool one way or another. He’ll have a lot of friends at the club and many who’ll want to see him do well.
Unfortunately for Kent though, he wasn’t able to make any kind of impact across the two games. He’s been one of Rangers key men since his move to Glasgow, helping them to the league title in 2020.
But despite his good form, he’s never managed to convince anyone back in England that he’d be worth a punt.since leaving Liverpool
At the time, it looked as though the £7m Liverpool sold him for would turn out to be a good deal for Rangers. Get an impressive couple of years under his belt in Scotland and perhaps they could make a profit on him somewhere down the line.
Three years on and with a contract due to expire next year, that now looks like a pipe dream.
As for Clarkson, he’s settled down at Aberdeen after a brilliant start. Two goals in his first three games have been followed up with another one in the next six. For a central midfielder, that’s pretty good going.
Like Kent, it’s unlikely that he’ll have a long-term future at Anfield. But keep going the way he is, and he’ll still make a good career for himself.
