Following on from our assessment of Scott Arfield, the next player under the microscope in our series of Rangers Half-Term Reports is Sheyi Ojo.
When Steven Gerrard used his contacts to land winger, Sheyi Ojo, on loan from Liverpool in the summer, few Bears knew what to expect.
His Ibrox stay would be his fifth loan stint away from Anfield, with his previous sojourns yielding mixed results.
The early signs were extremely encouraging. Albeit against relatively weak opposition, the 22-year-old had scored four goals and registered three assists a little over a month after his arrival.
He was to produce some good things in September, too. He notched an assist in a win over Livingston, before five days later, coming up with the best moment of his time in Glasgow so far.
In the 23rd minute of a Europa League clash against Feyenoord, he rifled in an unstoppable left-footed shot from range, that would ultimately get the Gers off to a flying start in Group G.
However, unfortunately, since then, there’s been very little to shout about.
Whether included from the start or coming on off the bench, Ojo has struggled to make an impact, increasingly coming under fire from Rangers fans.
For such a pacy player, he often seems unwilling to take defenders on, while his decision-making and defensive work-rate often leave a lot to be desired.
Since that strike against Feyenoord, the winger has failed to net in 17 appearances and registered just three assists.
His lack of form saw him dropped from the squad completely on two occasions in the lead up to the winter break, while he’s only played 15 minutes of the last four Premiership fixtures.
Ojo’s overall record of five goals and seven assists in 29 appearances looks reasonable on paper [Transfermarkt]. Yet, those stats mask the fact that the wide man has barely contributed since the very early stages of the season.
Some fans are remaining optimistic after he scored and grabbed an assist in Saturday’s friendly against Lokomotiv Tashkent and perhaps there are better things to come in 2020.
However, for now, the Ojo loan move is a failing experiment, with the Liverpool loanee still raw and struggling at Ibrox.
