'Scored a hat-trick off the bench' - Mebude reflects on Rangers first team invite from Gerrard

London-born Nigerian forward Dapo Mebude has shared memories of his time at Scottish Premiership giants Rangers and how he was promoted to first team training by Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard.

The former Scotland youth international returned to Scottish football in October, signing a one-year deal with Championship outfit Dunfermline Athletic following the expiration of his contract with Belgian club KV Oostende at the end of the 2023-2024 season.

Mebude moved to Scotland at ten and attended the SFA Performance School Programme at Holyrood Secondary.

He rose through the youth ranks to make his first team debut for the Light Blues in a Premiership clash against Kilmarnock FC in May 2019.

The English-Scottish-Nigerian winger earned a call-up to train with Rangers' first team after catching Gerrard's eye with a hat-trick off the bench in an U20 match.

In his teenage years, Mebude was tipped for great success but had to leave Rangers for Watford in 2021 due to a lack of first-team opportunities, with players like Alfredo Morelos, Ianis Hagi, Ryan Kent and Cedric Itten ahead of him in Steven Gerrard's forward pecking order.

Speaking ahead of Dunfermline Athletic's Championship game versus Falkirk, Mebude told BBC Scotland: "Going through the age groups, I was doing well. I would always play a couple of years up.

"In my second year full-time, I got a game for the under-20s. I scored a hat-trick off the bench.

"Steven Gerrard had just come in at the time. He was at the game and the next day I trained with the first team. It was surreal."

Mebude, who is a Liverpool fan, models his game on Reds academy graduate Raheem Sterling.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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