Liverpool Winger Ryan Kent Joins Championship High-Flyers Bristol City on Loan for Rest of Season

Liverpool winger Ryan Kent has officially joined Championship side Bristol City on loan for the rest of the season.

Kent signed a long-term contract extension with the Reds in the summer, before being shipped off to Bundesliga outfit SC Freiburg. Despite losing key players like Maximilian Philipp and Vincenzo Grifo, the 21-year-old struggled to break into the team, as the Black Forest side encountered relegation issues.

Despite featuring in Liverpool's pre-season, Kent could only muster 244 minutes for Freiburg including one start, and subsequently returned to Merseyside.

With the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kent has been loaned out to Bristol City for the remainder of the season. The Robins are enjoying a fine season so far, sitting fourth in the Championship and vying for promotion to the Premier League for the first time.

Speaking to the club's website, Kent revealed the reasons for his move. "I'm excited to be at Bristol City - they have a great manager in Lee Johnson. He's got them playing great football and he has a great squad.

"His [Johnson] style and philosophy - they're probably playing some of the best football in the Championship - fits my identity as a football player. His methods really attract me."

Alex Livesey/GettyImages

Lee Johnson's side have also made the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and will entertain Manchester City for the second leg at Ashton Gate, having narrowly lost at the Etihad.

Kent has experience in the Championship, having spent the entirety of last season on loan at Barnsley, making 38 league starts. Fellow Liverpool academy graduates Ben Woodburn and Ovie Ejaria have also been rumoured to leave for more experience.