Jose Mourinho terminates Fenerbahce star's contract just DAYS before clash with former club Man United in Europa League - in move which could alert top European clubs
- European clubs could target a new free agent in his prime after the termination
- Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce have shown their brutal streak with ties severed
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Jose Mourinho has brutally terminated the contract of one of his Fenerbahce stars.
The Portuguese boss decided to pull the plug on the former Rangers favourite six days ahead of welcoming Manchester United in the Europa League, in what could be a critical game for Erik ten Hag.
This player is none other than Ryan Kent, who has been canned by following months of mostly being frozen out after a deadline-day move to Lazio collapsed last January. He signed a four-year deal with the Fenerbahce in 2023 but has been dumped after 16 months.
Kent, 27, had only managed one appearance this season for Mourinho's side and was excluded from all of their league match squads.
He joined Liverpool's academy aged seven but only managed one senior appearance and, after five loan spells at five clubs, eventually moved to Rangers permanently in 2019 for £6.5million.
Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce have brutally terminated Ryan Kent's deal after 16 months
Ex-Rangers star Kent has seen his contract terminated days before a Man United clash
The attacking star came through Liverpool's academy and made one senior appearance
The forward was a popular figure at Rangers, where he spent five seasons (including a loan spell) and won the Scottish Premiership title under Steven Gerrard in 2020-21.
He had been a hit with supporters during his 2018-19 loan spell and went on to win the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year Award at the end of the season.
He was a key part of the team that won the Scottish Cup and reached the Europa League final in 2021-22.
In total he racked up 218 appearances for the Glasgow giants and scored 33 goals.
During his time at Ibrox there was even talk of him being an outside shout for the England squad but he only ever made it as high as the Under-20s.
His Instagram shows no record of his time in Turkey, where he shared a dressing room with Edin Dzeko, Allan Saint-Maximin, Fred, Dusan Tadic, Sofyan Amrabat, Caglar Soyuncu, and Cenk Tosun.
Fenerbahce issued a cold statement to announce that he had been let go.
'The contract with Ryan Kent, one of the Professional Football A Team players, has been terminated by mutual agreement. We present it to the public,' the club wrote.
Kent had reportedly refused to leave the club last winter and has played once this season
Erik ten Hag's side face a test against Brentford before their trip to the Turkish capital
Fenerbahce sit fourth in the Turkish Super League with five wins and a draw in seven matches
The Oldham-born star was linked with multiple clubs this summer, turning down an offer from an unnamed Scottish club, according to The Sun.
In January he also had interest from Leeds and Hull, as well as the Lazio bid, but he reportedly refused to leave Fenerbahce, provoking the anger of former boss Ismail Kartal - and Mourinho did not take to him either.
On leaving Rangers in the summer of 2023, he said: 'My time at Ibrox is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
I immediately fell in love with the club and fans and have made some memories that I will look back on with great happiness.
'As a kid, it is a dream to play in European competitions, and win leagues and cups, but to do that in front of the Ibrox crowds is something else entirely, it’s a privilege.
'I will forever carry Rangers in my heart.'
