SHEYI Ojo has called four clubs home from home in recent years as he has moved away from Liverpool.
Now he wants to feel the love as part of the Rangers family after hitting the road and finding some familiar faces in Glasgow.
Ojo was just 14 when he left MK Dons to join Liverpool as he set his sights on the Anfield first team.
That dream has partly been realised already and he has scored in the FA Cup and played Premier League football under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.
Given the quality of the players the German has to choose from in the forward areas, it is no surprise that Ojo has found chances hard to come by at Anfield.
READ MORE: Sheyi Ojo hopes Liverpool team-mate Ryan Kent joins him at Rangers this summer
He has not been short of opportunities elsewhere, though, and moves to Wigan, Wolves and Fulham gave him a chance to learn his trade and to grow as a person and a player.
A spell with Reims last season didn’t turn out as Ojo or Liverpool would have hoped, but he has arrived at Ibrox this summer refreshed and rejuvenated for the challenge ahead.
The 22-year-old has joined up with Steven Gerrard’s squad at their training base in the Algarve as he begins the next stage of his career.
And the message inked on his right arm, one of many tattoos that Ojo has, perhaps sums up best why he felt Rangers was the right place for him to play and improve this season.
“Yes, and that’s what I am most excited about,” Ojo said when asked if Gerrard will allow him to express himself as a player.
“I know as I work hard for the manager I will have that opportunity to be myself.
“On the other loan spells I didn’t feel like I had that opportunity.
“This season I am really focussed on showing what I can really do.
“The ‘Love’ tattoo on my arm says most about me. Only because everyone wants to be loved. Love is the most important thing.
“Especially as a footballer you want to have that family behind you.
“If you can get that then it is an amazing feeling.
“When you go on loan all the time you don’t have that stability. I’m hoping that this season that I can find that family within Rangers.”
The path from Anfield to Ibrox has become a fairly well trodden one over the last 12 months.
The appointment of Gerrard kick-started the arrivals and he was followed by Gary McAllister, Michael Beale, Tom Culshaw and Jordan Milsom as the Light Blues’ backroom team was put in place.
On the park, Ryan Kent and Ovie Ejaria moved on loan and had differing fortunes in the Premiership.
Now, Ojo is confident he is in the right place and at the right time.
“I feel Rangers are a massive club and after speaking with the manager I felt it was the best decision to come here,” he said. “Hopefully I can help the team and have a consistent season of good football.
“The manager’s last season at Liverpool as a player was my breakthrough season at the club.
“I was training with him while I already knew all the backroom staff from Liverpool.
“That was an added bonus when I came here. I already knew the manager and all his staff.
“It is very similar to Liverpool. The stadium is massive, they have great fans and they have some great players in the squad now.”
If Ojo is to convince Klopp that he is worth a place in his Liverpool squad, he must first prove himself to an Anfield legend.
The chance to work under Gerrard was too good an opportunity for the wide man to turn down this summer.
And he has arrived at Ibrox with plenty of experience, both good and bad, under his belt after mixed fortunes south of the border.
Ojo said: “I went to Wigan when I was only 17. It was a good experience and a good learning curve.
“At the time they were trying to avoid relegation so it was quit tough.
“But, for me it was good to understand what it takes at a professional level. The following season I started off at Liverpool before going on loan to Wolves.
“I think that was more up and down for me. I was expecting to be a main player for Wolves but I wasn’t able to nail down a slot.
“I was in and out of the team although I felt I did well when I did get a chance.
“I got pulled back to Liverpool midway through that season but picked up a back injury which restricted me.
“I then went on loan to Fulham when I was 20 and that was a good season for me apart from the injuries. I dislocated my shoulder which kept me out for over three months, although Fulham got promoted so it ended on a positive note.”
READ MORE: Former Rangers and Celtic striker Kenny Miller to sign for Partick Thistle
Having had a taste of life on the road in England, Ojo was sent further afield by Liverpool last season as he was taken out of comfort zone.
A stint in Ligue 1 didn’t give Ojo everything that he wanted but the experience was still invaluable for the England youth international.
Gerrard will need the winger to hit the ground running this term as Rangers look to start quickly in the Premiership and move through the rounds in the Europa League.
It is a challenge Ojo is ready to accept. He is older and wise, and confident he is better.
Ojo said: “Last season I was desperate to play and I wanted a different challenge so that’s why I went to the French league.
“That was my most important loan and while I didn’t play as often as I would like I felt I learnt a lot about what I need to be like in the future.
“I felt I learned more about myself as a person. During all my loan spells I didn’t really play like myself.
“I did what I needed to do to try and fit into the team. I realised if I play the way I prefer to then the best version of me will come through.
“Touch wood I don’t get any injuries I will have a very good season.
“Whenever I speak to the staff at Liverpool they all have high hopes for me. It is just about getting that consistent season under my belt and take it from there.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here