When Kenny Dalglish was still in charge of Liverpool, he had to fight off Chelsea in order to secure the signing of then 14-year-old Sheyi Ojo from MK Dons. Ojo signed for Liverpool on 17 November 2011 and has blossomed in the youth system.
The 17-year-old midfielder/attacker was sent to Wigan Athletic in the Championship on 2 February 2015 until the end of the season, a move he rightly deserved.
The move gives Ojo the opportunity to experience first team football while only being about a half-an-hour drive from the Liverpool academy. Ojo joined MK Dons in 2007, where he first played for the U18s when he was only thirteen and earned two U16 caps for England. He was the first player from the MK Dons youth academy to ever earn an international cap.
In his first season with Liverpool, he played mostly for the U16 squad, while breaking into the U18 squad occasionally. As Ojo got older, he only got better. When he was only fifteen years old, he recorded eleven appearances for the U18s during the 2012/13 season, while playing for the U16 squad at the same time.
The following season, Ojo was a main player for the U18 squad, appearing 29 times and scoring five goals. He also made his debut for the U21 squad, despite being just sixteen years old.
This season he has been a regular for the U21 squad, and he was on the verge of making an appearance with the senior squad.
On 26 December 2014, Ojo was an unused substitute for the senior squad in a 1-0 away victory over Burnley. Towards the end of the match, it was clear Brendan Rodgers needed to bring on a striker to finish the match, and many supporters shouted for Ojo. However, Rodgers brought on Rickie Lambert in the 73rd minute for Philippe Coutinho, which was the third and final substitute of the match.
While we have already seen a number of Liverpool players having successful loan spells with other clubs in England, Sheyi Ojo has a tough task ahead of him, as he makes the jump from the youth system to the Championship at the age of 17.
Is this a good move for Sheyi Ojo? Could it have the same effect as it’s seemingly had on Jordon Ibe? Let us know in the comments below.
