Ejaria has lovely skill and the men to shape his game in Gerrard and McAllister
SAYS GARY GILLESPIE
THERE is no surprise in Steven Gerrard picking a Liverpool youngster for his first addition since formally beginning work as Rangers manager.
A year spent as manager of the Anfield Under-18s, and the willingness of his former club to help one of its most iconic figures, meant a transfer of potential from Merseyside to Clydeside was always a racing certainty.
The only real question was who would be first over the line. While interest in the more prominent figure of Dominic Solanke will be determined later in the window, another 20-year-old is expected to check in on loan this week to become the Ibrox club’s fourth summer signing.
Ovie Ejaria’s name may not have previously rang many bells for your average Rangers season-ticket holder, but the attack-minded midfielder remains an intriguing prospect.
‘You could always see he had tremendous skill on the ball,’ former Liverpool and Celtic defender Gary Gillespie, who watched Ejaria come through the youth ranks in his role as an LFC TV pundit, told Sportsmail.
‘There was this legginess and slight awkwardness about him when he was younger but you would see him do things and then wonder how he had done it.’
Ejaria appeared primed for a first-team breakthrough with Liverpool as an 18-year-old when he made eight outings across a variety of competitions. His Anfield debut in October 2016, a 90-minute appearance in an EFL Cup win over Tottenham, drew warm praise from Jurgen Klopp.
‘He did well,’ said the Liverpool boss. ‘In one-on-one situations, he is really ugly to play against. He’s a good footballer and he had a good game — very good.’
As Gillespie and Klopp suggest, that unpredictability is regarded as one of Ejaria’s prime assets. Opportunities to display it were curtailed, however, when an ankleligament injury stalled his progress in January 2017.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, he returned to fitness in time to be part of the England squad that won that summer’s Under-20 World Cup — before being farmed out on loan to Sunderland last term. The misery surrounding the Stadium of Light was no backdrop for a relative novice. Ejaria made 11 appearances between February and May as the Wearside club plummeted towards a second successive relegation. The atmosphere around Ibrox should be a little different. Gillespie believes working closely with Gerrard (below left) and assistant Gary McAllister in an environment where winning is demanded could be the making of Ejaria. And, in turn, deliver a positive outcome for Rangers. ‘I have seen Ovie quite a bit because he is one who has progressed through the ranks,’ said Gillespie. ‘He came from Arsenal and he was just a young kid when he first came on to the scene with the Under-18s. ‘Like all the young kids who come through at academy level, it is about learning the game to go with their technique and Ovie has lovely skill. He had a little taste of it around the first team before he went out on loan to Sunderland for a while last season.
‘That was a very difficult situation to go into.
‘But it will have given him an insight into what is required in terms of making that step up.
‘When these guys come through from academy level, it is all about technique and drills and things. But, sometimes, the best advice and coaching you get just comes from watching and learning from proper influences in your role.
‘There could be no better people for a midfielder to learn from than Steven Gerrard and Macca. Sometimes, just a little word in the ear can mean more than a two-hour training session.
‘If Ovie can take everything in and learn from these two, he has a great opportunity in front of him.
‘Liverpool used him in a few different roles in the midfield, so there is an adaptability there. Given the right platform and manager — and hopefully that will be the case with Rangers and Steven — he can produce.’ Ejaria may not be the last product of the Liverpool academy to head for Ibrox but Gillespie does not believe Gerrard will place too much emphasis on that relationship.
‘One or two others might come but you need to make sure you have the right blend,’ he said. ‘If you are going to challenge Celtic, you need good experience there, too. It will be interesting to see how Steven goes about getting that blend.
‘There is no doubt that Steven knows all these guys in the Liverpool academy and the ones who are on the fringes of the first team. He knows their personalities and capabilities.
‘If he is looking to sign them, he must feel that they can thrive in that environment.’
Gillespie shares in the fascination over how Gerrard will make the transition into first-team management. ‘It’s a little bit like Brexit. You are not quite sure what is going to happen!’ he laughed. ‘It’s a hard job he has taken because of the gap to Celtic but I think it is a good fit.
‘If he gets the right kind of backing then I can see him making a success of it.’