Ex-Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo has detailed the moment he was left “heartbroken” as injury thwarted his chances of breaking into Jurgen Klopp‘s first team.
Ojo became English football’s most expensive 14-year-old when Liverpool paid £2 million to sign him from MK Dons in 2011.
The Reds fended off reported interest from Chelsea, Man United, Man City, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham, Fulham, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Ajax, Inter Milan and Juventus to do so.
That laid out the hefty expectations around a player who would train with the first team at 15 and go on to score in only his second game at senior level.
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But Ojo ultimately played only 13 times for Liverpool, with a back injury suffered in pre-season in 2016 leaving him “heartbroken” as he knew “that was my opportunity to properly kick on.”
“I was really upset, to be honest,” Ojo told The Athletic this week.
“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.”
Ojo played twice for Klopp’s side after recovering from that injury – both against Plymouth in an FA Cup third-round tie that went to replay – before five loan moves and his eventual release in 2022.
He now plays for Slovenian side Maribor, having spent last season on loan in Belgium with KV Kortrijk, looking to prove himself at 27, saying: “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,” Ojo continued.
“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.”
The winger added: “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.”
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That only compounds the sadness around that injury in 2016 and the feeling of what could have been – which is a cautionary tale for those now held in high regard in Liverpool’s academy.
Ojo has made 263 senior appearances in his career so far for 10 different clubs, scoring 22 goals and assisting another 29 – including a goal and four assists in his 13 games for the Reds.
