At one time regarded as one of the best prospects to come out of the Liverpool academy, Ovie Ejaria has found it hard to break into first-team football since making the step up.
The talented midfielder was sent on loan to Sunderland last season where he played 11 games in the club’s terrible relegation campaign. Considering how poor Sunderland were that year, it would be unfair to be critical of the youngster who was getting his first taste of regular first-team football.
This season, Liverpool sent the midfielder to Rangers on loan for the season to join Steven Gerrard’s revolution at the club.
Great with the ball Ejaria has played 10 times in the league this season and has helped turned Rangers into possible title contenders this year. In Europe, he’s played three games for Gerrard and overall during his time north of the border, he hasn’t been too bad but not great.
While Ryan Kent has been outstanding for Rangers, the midfielder has been good without really impressing. As we approach January, there’s still a chance that Gerrard could dip into the transfer market to bring in some more players. If he brings in a midfielder, Ejaria could well be the man to lose his place.
Looking ahead to next summer, there’s no doubt that Ejaria will come back a better player from his experience in Scotland but it’s debatable whether he’ll be good enough to break into Klopp’s side.
After a summer where Liverpool have strengthened their midfield massively, it would seem Ejaria doesn’t really have a place in the team. Klopp already has two players that can play in the number 10 position in Lallana and Shaqiri. When he doesn’t play with a 10 and switches to three, Ejaria doesn’t have the dynamism to play in the side either.
It will be a crucial summer for the 21-year-old but it may just be one where he departs the club in order to find a team where he can play consistent first-team minutes.
