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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard confirmed after the weekend rout against Motherwell that he is unsure when the injured Ryan Kent will return, but the 22-year-old loanee faces a huge battle to reclaim his spot in the starting XI.

What's the word, then?

Well, the winger joined the Scottish Premiership giants on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool during the summer and quickly made a big impression at Ibrox.

The tricky wide man scored three goals and provided a further two assists in 22 appearances in all competitions before suffering a hamstring issue that saw him miss the 4-3 Europa League defeat against Spartak Moscow and the 7-1 thrashing of Motherwell.

Attacking players Eros Grezda, Glenn Middleton and Daniel Candeias have all taken advantage of their opportunities in recent weeks, and Kent has surely gone from being a regular to having to prove himself again on his return.

Can he dislodge them?

If Gerrard continues to use a 4-1-4-1 system then it means that two places are up for grabs between Kent, Candeias, Middleton and Grezda, and given the latter trio all have better stats than the Reds loanee compared to how many minutes each has played, he still has plenty to do to prove himself.

Just a few weeks ago it seemed as though it would be unthinkable to not have the 22-year-old in the starting XI, but his injury and the form of his attacking teammates may have ultimately turned his Rangers career upside down, and he now has it all to prove again if he does want to end up securing a permanent transfer to Ibrox.