The La Liga travails of former Liverpool prospect Nabil El Zhar

Five years ago Moroccan prospect Nabil El Zhar scored a stunner of a goal on his first ever start for Liverpool.

It would be his only highlight in a red shirt, with his career failing to pan out the way many including himself, would have hoped.

Nevertheless, like former colleague David Ngog, he is continuing to plug away with his career, at Levante in Spain.

The unfancied side are riding high in La Liga, in fifth, above Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla.

It would though be an exaggeration to say the Moroccan has made a telling contribution to that accomplishment.

He has been a bit-part player, coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Sevilla 10 days ago, picking up a yellow card in his 13 minute cameo.

Levante manager Juan Ignacio Martinez does seem to be a fan of El Zhar's abilities, starting him twice and bringing him off the bench eight times since early February.

The ex-Liverpool man is now 25, and made his debut under Rafa Benitez in 2006 as a substitute.

He is a winger who can play through the middle too, just five foot seven in height, who likes to shoot from distance. He shot to prominence during his youth with Morocco's under-20 side, and at the 2005 World Youth Championships where his nation reached the semi-finals.

In his first start a year later against Cardiff in the Carling Cup he hit a 25-yard screamer in front of the Kop. He never really progressed, despite brief flashes of talent here and there, and at Liverpool the expectation and standard is so difficult for a youngster to live up to that he just got lost in the system.

He was also unfortunate to suffer injuries, and be at the club during a difficult time in their existence, the Hicks and Gillette era, in which boardroom troubles manifested themselves on the pitch.

In 2010 now England manager Roy Hodgson decided he didn't fancy him much, and loaned him to Panathaniakos, where he scored four goals in 20 games, and at the end of the season Dalglish and the board agreed to release him one year ahead of his contract expiration date, allowing him to join Levante on a free transfer.

During his debut season in Spain, he has played 22 times in total, with 10 starts to his name. He has failed so far to score a league goal, but netted for his new team in the Copa del Rey.

Ironically, Levante have been compared to Liverpool's arch-rivals Everton, in that their team-work and lack of star names has proved effective in upsetting more heralded and financially better off opponents.

It is still early days in Nabil El Zhar's career, but he is getting chances to show what he can do each week. He is yet to score or provide a league goal, often struggling to fit the same wave length as his team-mates, but in his debut season that can be forgiven.

Should he show signs of improvement in his productivity and general play next season, he may just command a first team place and carve out a successful career just yet.

Watch El Zhar's solitary goal for Levante here:

image: © joncandy