Former Liverpool winger Ryan Kent has claimed he was lied to over his future before he completed a permanent move to Rangers this summer.
The 22-year-old joined the Glasgow club in a £7.5million deal on the final day of the Scottish transfer window after impressing on loan at Steven Gerrard’s side last season.
Rangers initially tried and failed to engineer a second loan move but were eventually able to reach an agreement with the Premier League club over a permanent switch before the deadline.
Despite featuring for the Reds at the start of pre-season, Kent found his opportunities in Jurgen Klopp’s side increasingly limited after some of his more experienced team-mates returned from extended summer breaks.
And he admitted that he endured a difficult spell before he was able to secure a return to Scotland.
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“It was very tough,” he said in a press conference on Thursday. “I had to stay mentally strong.
“When you are told you can do one thing and then you are lied to and it doesn’t happen, that is quite hard to take.
“I just had to keep myself fit and train on my own and make sure I keep my fitness levels up and I was waiting for a moment like this to arrive.
“There’s no bitter taste, the thing that I wanted from the start happened at the end so I am just happy with that.
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“There were probably some slight concerns along the way when I thought this might not happen and I might have to plan for something else but I always had a feeling that it might go to the last day of the window and that’s what happened.”
Kent came through the Liverpool academy but struggled to break into the first team and made just one competitive senior appearance for the Reds, which came in 2016 during an FA Cup game against Exeter City.
He also had loan spells with Coventry City, Barnsley, Freiburg and Bristol City before linking up with former Reds captain Gerrard last season, but admitted he finally feels at home at Ibrox.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I’m in a privileged position in life to be playing football, it’s every kid’s dream,” he said. “And I think it’s naive to not enjoy that position in life. I’m fortunate to be in that position in life.
“For once in my life to be feeling at home somewhere, to be actually enjoying my football, I want that feeling for the rest of my career.
“I felt that for the first time when I came here.”
