LIFE on the road has had its fair share of ups and downs for Ryan Kent as he has shifted clubs and countries and embarked on a journey that he hopes will take him to the top of the game.

His latest stop could prove to be the most important of his fledgling career. If anyone can set him on the right path, it is surely Steven Gerrard.

Kent was touted for a move to Ibrox some time ago, but it was only on Sunday that he completed his season-long loan switch from Liverpool. He has already made his Gers debut, and shown flashes of why Gerrard has brought him to Glasgow.

Stints at Coventry and Barnsley saw Kent learn the game and start to earn his stripes but his most recent spells out on loan – at Freiburg and at Bristol City – proved to be more mentally challenging than physically beneficial.

Kent made only a handful of appearances in the Bundesliga and Championship before he returned to Anfield at the end of an unfulfilling campaign.

Now, he has packed his bags once again and hopes that Ibrox will be home sweet home away from home.

“The whole of last season was quite frustrating to be honest,” Kent said after being handed his first start for Rangers in the Europa League win over Osijek on Thursday night.

“I still learned many things but the lack of game time... people might look upon it as a bit of a wasted season. But I’m here now and I’m looking to build on that.

“It’s about how you come back from it. A lot of footballers in their careers have to overcome adversity.

“It’s something I experienced last year. This year I’ll probably have to prove a lot of people wrong. I think this is the right place to do it.

“There were certain factors last year that I don’t really want to go into, but I didn’t get as much game time as I would have wanted. I’m here at Rangers now and that’s all I’m concentrating on.”

Even taking into consideration a frustrating few months last term, Kent would not have been short of offers this summer if he had chosen to remain in England and the winger remains highly thought of at Liverpool.

He became the eleventh signing that Gerrard has made ahead of the new campaign and follows a host of familiar faces from Merseyside to Glasgow. He has the environment, the backing and the platform now to go and showcase his talents.

“They have got a manager in Steven Gerrard that has played at the top level and succeeded at the top level as well,” Kent said. “To learn anything from him that I can is a great opportunity for me.

“They have got Mick Beale, who got the best out of me at 23s level and sort of made me the player that I am today. So when the opportunity came around I had to take it

“In a way [I owe these guys], yeah. Obviously I have been elsewhere now and hopefully I can offer Rangers something in return as well as them giving me a platform to progress my career as well

“I have known Steven for a while now and I was a youngster when I first went up to Melwood. I was lucky enough to play with him for a period of time and he was someone that I was always in awe of.

“He is a great professional and a great footballer as well so any time I get the chance to learn from him I have to make the most of it.”

The addition of Kent has given Gerrard another much-needed option in the final third of the park and the 21-year-old could become an integral part of his Ibrox plans this term.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will keep a close eye on his progress for the Gers but the England youth international only has his mind focused on the Light Blues.

Kent said: “The main thing for me now is to get game time. Hopefully this season I can add to my game in terms of assists and goals.

“It’s good that I’m still valued at Liverpool. But I’m always concentrating on where I am at the time.

“This season I’m at Rangers so my mind isn’t elsewhere. I’m solely concentrating on how I perform here.

“I had a quick word with Andrew Robertson about the move as well as a few of the senior players. They all advised me to come here.”

A whirlwind few days that saw Kent leave Liverpool and then make his Rangers bow in Croatia ended on a positive note for the forward.

He gave the travelling fans a taste of what could come this term against Osijek and he is confident Rangers will get the best of him over the next few months.

Kent said: “It was a great experience to make my debut for Rangers. It probably wasn’t the performance I was looking for myself but I am looking to build on that after getting my first 90 minutes for a while. The boys dug in and got the result and hopefully we can take that to Ibrox and build on it.

“It has been in the background for quite a while now, coming to Rangers. But I was only here for a limited period of time and then was straight into a game.

“I am happy to get the 90 minutes now and I want to build on that now.

“It was my first 90 minutes since last season, maybe January last season, so I am still sharpening myself up.

“There were times where I thought I should have beat my man but that will come as the season progresses and hopefully I can start next week."