Kai Kennedy First Interview

“You go out on loan to prepare and be ready to go back and be part of Rangers first team. That is my ambition but while I’m here I want to do very well for the club and hopefully do well.”

Kai Kennedy is pleased to finally have his loan deal to Dunfermline done and now he can’t wait to get started.

The young Rangers prospect’s arrival is no surprise since it has been subject of conjecture for a few weeks now and speaking to the media in his first interview as a Dunfermline player Kai revealed the reason for the delay:-

“I caught Covid a few weeks ago and was meant to come here after that, then other stuff happened — I had to isolate and just use that time to work hard and get fit, focused for the season ahead.

“I felt okay and I managed to get through it. I was working hard behind the scenes and getting ready for the new season. It was disappointing but I am just happy to be feel fit and ready to go now.”

While on loan last season to Inverness Caley Thistle and Raith Rovers Kai faced Dunfermline four times but possibly more significantly he was an opponent against Alloa Athletic on three occasions and that gave him the opportunity to admire Peter Grant’s approach and style of play which he claims suits him as a player and convinces him that Dunfermline is the right move for him. He continued:-

“The gaffer was a really big part of the move and knowing how he wants to play just made me more interested. It is what made the decision easy for me.”

Last season on loan Ger Lewis Mayo played a big role in Dunfermline’s progress to the Premiership play off and that was not missed by Kai who added:

“He did well and you can tell that he is a better player for it. I think going on loan was the best thing to do.”

While isolating Kai was sent a bike by Rangers and on top of his own equipment, weights etc. used the time to put in graft and get himself fit.

“I have been working hard for the last couple of weeks doing my best to get sharp because I was in the house with covid and knew that I had to work extra hard to get to where I was. I feel fitter than ever.

“It might sound daft, but I feel that period actually helped me to get stronger and more physical. That’s something I’ve been wanting to focus on, more than anything. The bike kept me fit but I was more interested in adding strength to my game.

“I’ve been aware of my size for a while now and I have always worked hard in the gym, keeping on top of my diet and nutrition, drinking a lot of protein shakes — this season I want that to shine through.

“Diet is just as important, you can do as much gym as you want but if your diet is not right it is not going to work. My ambition is just to keep getting better.

“I need to keep my sharpness up, that is why in the last couple of weeks when I have been back in at Rangers I have been working hard and doing a lot of sharp stuff as well since that is a large part of my game.”

Nineteen year old Kai is hoping that his loan to Dunfermline will assist his travel to the Rangers first team.

“You go out on loan to prepare and be ready to go back and be part of Rangers first team. That is my ambition but while I’m here I want to do very well for the club and hopefully do well.”

Although Rangers retained an option to recall Kai in January, the young loanee feels that no matter what the scenario was he always wanted to come to Dunfermline, do well and show the club and the fans what he can do.

“I want to win every game and play well, hopefully I can do that. Whatever happens in January, happens.”

Dunfermline’s nine goals in two matches gave a strong indication that this was a team that would be good to be an attacker in. He claimed that was a big part of his decision to come east:-

“I came here because the gaffer plays a lot of football, the more of the ball you have, the more chance you have of winning the game. You can tell they have been creating chances and scoring a lot of goals. I just look to add more to that.”

West Ham are one of several clubs credited with an interest in Kai so it is a real coup for Peter Grant to capture the Rangers man who dismissed the background noise:-

“I just kept my head, kept working hard no matter what happened behind the scenes. Whatever happened happened I am just glad to be here and getting back to playing football, I am ready for Saturday. I just need to keep my head and work hard.”

Thursday’s training session was Kai’s first with his new team mates and he was delighted with the welcome from all the players, gaffer and all the staff. He added:-

“I am just glad to be here. The session was great and the standard was good. The boys were in high spirits of course after good results in the first three games. I think that they are just looking forward to Saturday and hopefully we can get the win that will take us through to the next round.”

In the first three Premier Sports Cup matches Peter Grant has played three men up front and with wingbacks. Kai has not yet received any indication where he might fit in but surmised:-

“I am happy to play anywhere but I think that it will be one of the attacking options. Whatever formation he plays whatever side or in the middle, I am happy to play anywhere and I think I can play any of them. As long as I’m on the pitch I am happy.”

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