It has been suggested that Steven Gerrard could target Ryan Kent as a potential first signing as Aston Villa boss in the January transfer window.

The 25-year-old winger was at Liverpool from an early age but failed to break into the first team.

Gerrard signed him on a permanent deal to Rangers in 2019, and Kent has gone on to develop into a serious threat going forward.

Owen Hargreaves, who played with Gerrard for England, commented on Kent as a player while appearing on BT Sport 2 on Thursday.

He stated that Kent “is fabulous” as Rangers beat Sparta Prague two-nil in the Europa League.
The plaudits come as no shock given Kent’s performance – he recorded 43 touches, two key passes, one big chance created and three shots.

The Rangers winger provides a clear threat going forward and is already familiar with what Gerrard asks of his wingers in the 4-3-3 he so often utilises.

He is approaching his prime and could be an astute bit of business to kickstart the new Villa boss’ first transfer window in charge.

Gerrard currently has Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia, Bertrand Traore, Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi and even Ollie Watkins among his ranks to play out wide.

It could be considered unlikely that Rangers would part with such a key figure in their squad.

They have hopes of winning the Scottish Premiership once again this season and have recently progressed into the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Having already seen their manager leave for Villa, they may be reluctant to lose more key figures to the claret and blue side of Birmingham.