Ryan Kent crisis lifeline as Rangers hero gets boss nod in Fenerbahce 'don't sign players for the sake of it' verdict

Fenerbahce boss Ismail Kartal appears to have offered a veiled lifeline to Ryan Kent after the former Rangers star was left on the fringes of his squad.

The wide man was brought on in the 89th minute by his boss in his side's 3-2 victory over Antalyaspor as he continued to leave the 26-year-old on the fringes of his squad despite some promising early displays after leaving the Scottish Premiership domestically and in the Europa Conference League. It is the third game in a row that the former Ibrox star - who left the Light Blues at the end of his contract - has failed to start for the Istanbul outfit.

With the transfer window in Turkey remaining open until September 15, speculation rumbled until the deadline that the Englishman could be set for a quickfire exit from Fenerbahce but the boss appears to have cooled speculation that Kent is out of the picture. It comes with pressure ramping up from fans to include Kent in the starting line-up again.

Antalyaspor boss Nuri Sahin gave a nod to Kent after his late cameo as he insisted his players had been left feeling "dizzy" when attempting to track the ex-Rangers star. And Kartal appeared to nod to the swirls surrounding Kent as he talked up the recruits snapped up in the summer by the Turkish giants.

"We will buy the players we need, we want to buy players who will contribute to us and add quality. We don't make transfers just for the sake of it, and All of our players are valuable, we trust all of them very much. We will continue our way this way for now."