Virgil van Dijk has set an example that may be best for Ryan Kent to follow next season.
Kent is currently a little bit in limbo. The 22-year-old does not know where he will be next season and, it seems, no one else does, either.
Steven Gerrard wants him back at Rangers, a club he excelled at last year. Kent won the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award in his first season there.
But as the Echo says, Liverpool may sell him for around £12m. Rangers can’t afford that price, though.
But Liverpool should look at Van Dijk when it comes to the future of Kent. The Dutchman also had a two-year spell in Scotland, with Celtic, at the same age as Kent and is much the better for it.
Van Dijk improved greatly there, primarily learning how to play for a top side against defensive teams. It’s something he’s taken to Anfield after his £75m move and it’s is a fantastic trait to have.
Kent could very much do the same. He’s got a base to build on, which is key at his age. Moving elsewhere means having to adapt to a new environment, with new players, in a new style.
At Rangers, though, he wouldn’t need to; he can just focus on improving at Ibrox. Give him another year there and he may improve considerably more than that £12m value. He may also, like Van Dijk, learn how to play against the packed defences that Liverpool face.
If he learns to unpick them, he could have a future at Anfield, still. And the best place to learn that would be in Scotland with Rangers.
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