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Oviemuno Dominic Ejaria (born 18 November 1997) is an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder, most recently for club Reading.
He is a former England under-21 international.
On 25 October, Ejaria made his full debut in the fourth round of the EFL Cup in a 2–1 win over against Tottenham at Anfield. On 6 November 2016, he debuted in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute in Liverpool's 6–1 home win over Watford.
On 31 January 2018, Ejaria made a deadline day switch to Sunderland, signing on loan for the remainder of the season. He made 11 appearances in total as the club were relegated to League One. His only goal, and his first in senior football, came in the final match of the regular season when he opened the scoring in a 3–0 win over the eventual league champions, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In June 2018, Ejaria moved on loan to Scottish Premiership club Rangers for the 2018–19 season, managed by former Liverpool captain and academy coach Steven Gerrard, after signing a new long-term contract with Liverpool. He made his debut on 12 July, coming on as a second-half substitute in Rangers' 2–0 UEFA Europa League win over Macedonian team FK Shkupi. He scored his first goal for the club in a Scottish Premiership match against Motherwell on 26 August. Four days later on 30 August he scored against Russian Premier League team FC Ufa in the away leg of the Europa League Play-off Round, the 1–1 result sent Rangers into the Group stage 2–1 on aggregate. In December 2018 his loan was curtailed earlier than planned and he returned to training with Liverpool.
On 7 January 2019, Ejaria joined EFL Championship club Reading on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season. He rejoined Reading on 8 August on loan for the 2019–20 season, with Reading having an obligation to sign Ejaria permanently at the end of the season. On 2 July, Reading confirmed that Ejaria's loan deal from Liverpool had been extended until the end of July to account for prolonged 2019–20 season.
On 28 August 2020, Ejaria signed a permanent four-year contract with Reading which would earn him an annual salary of £650,000. On 18 December 2023, Ejaria left the club by mutual consent. Following his release by Reading, Ejaria was reported to have gone on trial with EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle. In October 2024, Ejaria went on trial with Egyptian Premier League club Zamalek SC, managed by his former Reading Manager José Gomes.
Ejaria was selected for the England under-20 team in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his first start in a game in the first round match against South Korea, and came on as a substitute the quarter-final against Mexico, but was an unused substitute in the final where England beat Venezuela 1–0.
He was called up for the England under-21 team in March 2018, making his debut in a friendly against Romania. He was called up again in May 2018 for the Toulon Tournament but had to withdraw from the squad due to an injury.
In December 2019, Nigeria national team coach Gernot Rohr urged the Nigeria Football Federation to get Ejaria to switch allegiance to Nigeria.
International career
Ejaria is eligible to represent England or Nigeria internationally. He trained with the Nigeria under-17 team in 2013 and stated that his international allegiance lay with the country in 2014. However, despite rumours of a senior Nigeria call up being in the offing, Ejaria accepted a call up to the England U20 team on 30 September 2016. He made his debut for the Under-20 team on 7 October, in a 3–1 win against Germany, playing the whole match.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Liverpool 2016–17 Premier League 0 2017–18 0 Sunderland (loan) 2017–18 EFL Championship 1 Rangers (loan) 2018–19 Scottish Premiership 2 Reading (loan) 2018–19 Championship 1 2019–20 3 Reading 2020–21 Championship 3 2021–22 2 2022–23 0 2023–24 League One 0
Honours
England U20
External links
Categories: 1997 Births, Living People, Footballers From The London Borough Of Southwark, People From Southwark, English Men's Footballers, England Men's Youth International Footballers, England Men's Under-21 International Footballers, Men's Association Football Midfielders, Arsenal F.c. Players, Liverpool F.c. Players, Sunderland A.f.c. Players, Rangers F.c. Players, Reading F.c. Players, Premier League Players, Scottish Professional Football League Players, English Football League Players, Black British Sportsmen, 21st-century Black British People, English People Of Nigerian Descent, Sportspeople Of Nigerian Descent, 21st-century English Sportsmen
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