Back in 2011, Liverpool paid £2 million to add then 14-year-old winger Sheyi Ojo from Milton Keynes Dons to their academy.The young gem, who was acquired after battling it out with Chelsea, Manchester United and other strong clubs, was expected to shine at Anfield.
He also played under Jurgen Klopp, who took over in October 2015, but only made a total of 13 first-team appearances. One factor was a back injury sustained in pre-season ahead of the upcoming 2016/17 campaign.
He then spent around 80 days out on loan at Fulham the following season with an injury.
The Hemel Hempstead-born winger revealed how heartbreaking it was to lose his chance to appeal to the manager and coaches due to injury in a season where he was looking to make a real mark on the first team.
“I was really upset, to be honest,”
“It didn’t break me because I’m still here but at the time I remember feeling heartbroken because I knew really that was my opportunity to properly kick on.”
“It was a back injury and I was out for about four months. Even to this day, I remember that exact feeling. It was a hard one to take.”
The Athletic
After failing to secure a first team position at Anfield, the player went on loan. Starting with Fulham, he moved on to Reims, Rangers, Cardiff and Millwall before his contract expired with Liverpool in July 2022.
The attacker, now 27, has been at NK Maribor in Slovenia. Although he seems to have achieved certain results at Cardiff and Rangers, he never reached the level Liverpool were looking for, but the player also admitted that he was not in his element and said he was acutely aware of the level of training in the first team.
“I still don’t think I’ve fully shown how good I really am.”
“I remember my first training session with the first team [at Liverpool], I was 15, and I remember the intensity of the pass, the movement in behind for an attacking player,”
“All the little small things you wouldn’t think are a big deal but then at that level, every little detail counts.”
“That’s the level at the biggest clubs, every day is like a game pretty much.”
“I had really nice memories of playing for Klopp. Everything feels easier when you’re playing with the best players, I was enjoying my football.”
The Athletic