SHEYI Ojo has expressed hope the £7 million signing of Ryan Kent from Liverpool can help him to make the same sort of impact for Rangers up front as Mo Salah and Sadio Mane do at Liverpool.
Ojo was delighted when he heard that the Ibrox club were set to bring back skilful winger Kent on a permanent contract towards the end of the summer transfer window earlier this month.
He came through the youth ranks at Anfield alongside his fellow wide player and believes the understanding they developed during that time will prove hugely beneficial in the months ahead.
Steven Gerrard, the Rangers manager, is keen for Ojo, who is on a season-long loan from Liverpool, to be as influential in his side as Mane and Salah are for Jurgen Klopp’s men and net as many goals.
The celebrated duo hit the target on no fewer than 53 occasions between them in all competitions during the 2018/19 campaign and helped the English giants to triumph in the Champions League.
“That’s one of the main messages the gaffer and I spoke about when I first came here,” said Ojo. “For me to get into that Liverpool team I need to be doing what they (Mane and Salah) are doing—if not better.
“Whenever I’m playing I need to be as direct as I can and hopefully influence the game as much as I can. You can only do that with great players around you and Ryan Kent coming in can only help.
READ MORE: Ryan Kent reveals his airport U-turn and delight at Rangers deal after clinching Ibrox return
“In this sort of team, the midfielders look to get players like Ryan and me on the ball. As long as we’re making the right movements and we’re on the same wavelength, hopefully we’ll score more goals.
“That’s the aim. I’ve played with him since I was 16 and know him well. He can only help the team and hopefully he can help me score goals.”
Ojo added: “You can see even this week him on the left and me on the right, whenever he’s on the ball I sort of know what he’s going to do and vice versa. So whenever we do play hopefully it’ll be a positive for the team.
“I think we both have similar mindset - we want to get on the ball and go forwards. That’s what the manager wants us to do – to try and create chances and score and take the team forwards. Whether it’s me on the ball or him we’ve both got the same objectives to affect the game.
“The better players you play with the easier it should be to score or assist. For me whenever he’s on the ball I’ll adjust and make movements in behind off him and vice versa and hopefully that can help us.”
Meanwhile, Ojo, who hit the headlines before the Ladbrokes Premiership got underway when he said that Rangers were a superior side to treble treble winners Celtic, has revealed he wasn’t fully fit during the Old Firm game at Ibrox at the start of the month.
The 22-year-old, who came on at half-time for Glen Kamara in a game Neil Lennon’s team won 2-0, has revealed the Rangers players are determined to put the loss behind them and get the better of Feyenoord in their opening Europa League group game at Ibrox on Thursday night.
READ MORE: Why Ryan Kent will be vital to Rangers this season
“It wasn’t the best,” he said. “I was basically injured while I was playing, so overall it wasn’t a positive day. We didn’t really play our style of football and everyone will be looking forward to the next one so that we can hopefully make things right.
“I was injured in the Europa League game before it. I got a knock. I was still feeling it and had to take injections and stuff before the game. You want to play in the big games and you want to help the team. I didn’t manage to do that. Now we want to put things right.
“The injury has cleared up now. I didn’t do much during the international break, just rested my body. I don’t feel any pain now, so it’s all good. It was a dead leg. It was bone bruising and took longer than everyone expected to heal. With the week I had off, it’s fine now.
“Initially there was a wait because it was such a negative feeling after the game. It’s worked in a blessing because a lot of players have played a lot of games so it was nice to refresh our minds and get back into playing our style of play.This week in training we’ve focused on that.
“It (the Europa League) is massive for me and the club. Last season we got to the group stages and hopefully we can go one better and reach the knockout stages. Everyone is looking forward to the game.”
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