In 2018, Steven Gerrard arrived at Rangers looking to re-establish the club domestically but also in European football too with on-loan Liverpool youth player Ovie Ejaria set to play a key role.
The former Gers boss went back to his old club for a few players with the elegant playmaker, who had played for his parent club’s first team, one of the first to arrive.
Five years after a man of the match display against Ufa in Europa League qualifying for Rangers, Ovie Ejaria’s career hangs by a thread at Reading.
From Rangers to in reserve for Ovie Ejaria
It has now been a year, almost to the day, since the 25-year old last played a competitive game of football.
At Liverpool, it had all looked so promising too with the move to Glasgow designed to get him regular senior football before being integrated into Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Even when he arrived at Rangers, he made a promising start.
In possession, he was calm and composed, he could keep the ball with the best of them and pick a pass.
Then there was Ufa.
Watch that game back next time there is nothing on the TV.
It is as good an individual performance as any from a Rangers player in European football.
With eleven men he was dominating the midfield and scored a stunning long range goal to put Rangers in front on aggregate.
But it was his performance once Alfredo Morelos and Jon Flanagan got sent off that deserves the praise.
With a lack of passing options for Rangers, Ovie Ejaria took it upon himself to carry the ball out of defence to relieve the pressure and could easily have scored again.
The number of times he made telling interceptions and won back possession seemed to point at a player destined for bigger things.
Unfortunately, Ufa has been Ejaria’s peak.
Where and how it went wrong, only he will know.
But 366 days without a game for his club suggests that something isn’t right.
