On-loan Liverpool winger Ryan Kent has revealed his intentions to fight for a first-team spot next season when his loan spell with Barnsley comes to an end. The 20-year old described how inspiring it is to receive a chance to play from the manager and he hopes to make his mark on the first team next season.
Ryan Kent made his debut last season when he was recalled from his loan spell at Coventry and was named in the FA Cup squad to face Exeter City. He started the game that ended 2-2 and he was withdrawn after 57 minutes.
Speaking to LFCTV, Kent said: “The manager gave me my debut last year when I came back from Coventry and to see him giving out even more debuts this year and putting his trust in young players in big games is pivotal – it inspires you. Not many clubs are giving young players these opportunities, so that’s more inspiration for me to go back to Liverpool in the summer, work hard in pre-season, and push forward for the first team.”
At the start of the current season, Kent was once again loaned out, this time to championship side Barnsley, for the entire season. He also described his experience of playing in the Championship so far and is delighted with the way things are progressing in his career. He has made 36 appearances for Barnsley so far, gaining some valuable game time. He also has 2 goals and 2 assists to his name, and he believes he has fitted into the team really well.
He added: “I’m really enjoying my time here, I’ve fitted into the team really well and I was given a great welcome here. We’ve had some great results. Some people wrote us off at the start of the season but we have showed what we can do. It’s very exciting for me and a great experience to be playing in front of big crowds in big stadiums and it’s something I’m really relishing. I think it has helped my game playing in front of big crowds because I like to showcase my ability in front of crowds like that.”
When asked why he chose to sign for Barnsley specifically, Kent revealed that his mind was made up after speaking with Tykes boss Heckingbottom.
He said: “There were numerous clubs interested in taking me on loan at the start of the season, but after speaking to Paul Heckingbottom about what his philosophies are and how he wanted the team to play football, my mind was made up. I was impressed by what he had planned for me and developing my career. That really fitted in with what I needed to do around my identity as a football player.”
Kent’s highlight moment of the season was when he scored in the 3-2 win over Leeds United. When asked to describe how he felt about it, he said,
“It was a really big moment for me in my career so far. I really enjoyed it. I have been unlucky with a few shots this season that have hit the bar and post. I think it’s a case for me of not trying to score the perfect goal and it was nice to score, especially in a local derby.”
Ryan Kent will be looking forward to playing in a Liverpool shirt next season. It is always nice to see academy products trying hard to make their mark at the club. For a guy, who joined the club at the age of 7 and at 20, looking to play for the first team, is truly good progress.
He seems to be confident and is a really talented lad. The fact that he was recalled from his loan spell, indicates the belief that the manager and the club has on the player. He is still very young and has a lot of time in front of him to improve as a player. It seems like he is at the right place with a club like Barnsley who are keen on giving the youngster a lot of opportunities to perform and it will be interesting to see if he can build on from here.
