Ovie Ejaria at Reading FC: Why is he not starting? Where does he fit in the XI? What next?

Reading midfielder Ovie Ejaria has made just 15 league appearances so far this season, a frustrating campaign for the ex-Liverpool man who has been just one of many players at the Select Car Leasing Stadium to be sidelined during the 2021/22 campaign.

First arriving on a loan deal in January 2019, the 24-year-old became an instant fans’ favourite under Jose Gomes as he was one of five loanees to make a major impact and keep the club afloat in the Championship.

He rejoined the club on another loan deal during that summer and made his move permanent the following year – but has endured a mixed time in Berkshire since making his stay a longer-term one with a mixture of good and underwhelming performances.

In fairness to Ejaria, he played his part in guiding the second-tier outfit to a seventh-placed finish last season – a very respectable term considering they had spent the previous three campaigns prior to 2020/21 in the bottom half of the table.

Nonetheless, he hasn’t been able to make a real impact this season and only managed to get his first senior minutes on the pitch since November when he came on at half-time last weekend against Queens Park Rangers.

But why hasn’t he been in action much recently? Where does he fit in and what comes next? We answer these three key talking questions below.

Why is he not starting?

He has been suffering from a groin injury he picked up over the Christmas period as per a report from Berkshire Live, a problem that kept has kept him out of numerous games at a time when they really needed him and other key players.

Not only was he suffering with this injury issue – but he also contracted Covid-19 which delayed his return to action – although he didn’t seem to be feeling the after-effects