SHEYI Ojo has revealed he hasn’t been greatly impressed with any of Rangers’ league rivals ahead of the start of the new Ladbrokes Premiership season next weekend – and vowed to help show the Ibrox club are the best in Scotland during the coming 10 months.
Ojo, the Liverpool winger who has moved to Glasgow on a season-long loan, watched Steven Gerrard’s men in action towards the end of the 2018/19 campaign when it emerged he could be joining them.
The 22-year-old, who scored in the 2-0 win over Progres Niederkorn in a Europa League qualifier in Govan on Thursday evening, admitted he wasn’t bowled over by the standard of any of the Premiership teams he saw.
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Sheyi Ojo gets knocked down and back up again as he rises to the challenge at RangersThe former England Under-21 internationalist is adamant that Rangers, who finished nine points behind their city rivals Celtic in the top flight last term despite beating them twice, are the outstanding side in the country.
Asked if any Premiership teams had impressed him, he said: “Not really, to be honest. Towards the end of last season I was kind of watching some of the games. I think Rangers are the best team in the league. It is just about us proving we are the best team and doing really well this season.
“I think the most important thing, and the gaffer has told us this, is just to focus on ourselves. The difference last season was nine points. It proved we’re pretty close to Celtic. It’s just about concentrating on ourselves and then we’ll be able to make up those fine margins.
“The season hasn’t started yet. We haven’t played Celtic yet. For me, coming here I feel like Rangers is the best team in the league. It’s one of the reasons why I came here. I want to be part of a winning team and I think Rangers can do that this season.
“It’s just about us focusing on every game and in training. All the new players are focused on the new system the gaffer wants us to play and taking it game by game. So far it’s going really well. I think we’ve only conceded one goal in pre-season, so we look forward to the upcoming games.”
Ojo, who has made eight appearances for the Liverpool first team as well as playing for Wigan, Wolves, Fulham and Reims on loan, is confident there is enough talent in the Rangers squad to challenge for silverware in the coming season.
He believes they will have no difficulty scoring goals despite their inability to convert their chances against Luxembourgian minnows Progres on Thursday evening with Jermain Defoe and Alfredo Morelos up front and stressed he is hoping to pitch in with a few himself.
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Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo wants to be loved in the Rangers family after clinching Ibrox loan“It’s my first time working with Jermain,” he said. “He’s a great player as everyone knows, but the thing that surprised me was how sharp he is despite being quite old compared to many of the other players. I think if he can stay fit and sharp he’ll help us a lot with the goals, as well as Morelos.
“The gaffer has told me to focus on numbers. I like to get the ball to feet a lot. He has told me to focus more on getting in the frame of the goal. I feel if I keep on doing that throughout the course of the season then more goals will come.”
Ojo suffered a fractured back three years ago and is hoping to get an extended run of games in the coming weeks and stay injury free.
“I feel I am getting fitter and stronger and I am looking forward to the season,” he said. “The good thing for me is there are so many games coming up. It is about staying fit, staying in form and taking every opportunity I can get.
“I spoke to Liverpool before I came and they have high expectations of me. It’s about me staying fit. In the last couple of seasons I haven’t been able to do that. I want to stay fit and healthy to express myself. That’s the most important thing. If I can do that then I think everyone will see how good I can be.”
Ojo’s entire family left their home in London when he signed for Liverpool as a boy of just 14 and he is hoping to do well at Rangers so he can repay his dad Olu and mum Natasha – who saw him score this week on their first visit to Ibrox – for the sacrifices they made to further his career.
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Steven Gerrard backs Sheyi Ojo to make a name for himself at Ibrox after impressive Rangers debut“I owe a lot to my family,” he said. “They were really excited (about him joining Rangers). Obviously the gaffer is here and Rangers are a massive club. We already knew that before. But coming here has shown me just how big they are as a club.
“I kind of thrive of that. That is one of the main things that I wanted this season – to have that expectation from the fans, the players, all the staff. I’m really enjoying my football and looking forward to each game.”
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