Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst cannot afford to drop winger Ryan Kent despite his poor form, with the squad not having enough depth to replace him.
That is according to Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie.
The Lowdown: Kent out of form
The Gers slumped to a 2-1 defeat at St Johnstone last Sunday in what felt like a damaging afternoon in the Premiership title race. Kent played 79 minutes of proceedings but was well short of his best, as has been the case all too often this season with the former Liverpool winger.
The 25-year-old has scored just once in 11 league outings to date in 2022/23 and failed to net in six Champions League games, and while five assists have come his way, his performances have often flattered to deceive.
The Latest: McAvennie makes Kent claim
Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie claimed that Kent needs to be retained in Rangers' starting lineup before the World Cup despite his ailing form, simply due to a lack of options elsewhere at Ibrox.
The 62-year-old said of Van Bronckhorst:
"He can’t afford to drop Kent because they have not got a big enough squad.
"They have young players coming in and that is not the way forward unless they can unearth a couple of great players but I do not think that is going to happen any time soon."
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The Verdict: Need him back to his best
Van Bronckhorst is reportedly clinging to his job at the moment, with the Rangers boss set to be given two more matches to stay in the Ibrox dugout, and he badly needs Kent back to his best again.
The winger was described as 'sensational' by Steven Gerrard during the 42-year-old's time in charge at the Light Blues, but he is a far cry from that player at the moment, all too often finding himself on the periphery of games.
However, Kent has shown over an extended period what a crucial player he can be for the Gers, chipping in with 10 goals and 11 assists in the 2020/21 league-winning campaign, and a couple of big displays against Hearts and St Mirren this week could make a big difference to his team.