Juan Alegría arrived at Rangers from FC Honka in Finland to great excitement.
The young Colombian's similar path to fan favourite Alfredo Morelos only furthered the sense that another special player could be in the Ibrox club's midst.
However things never quite worked out.
Loan spells at Partick Thistle and Falkirk yielded just six goals in 31 appearances and soon he was departing back to his old club in Finland.
That led to a move back home with Jaguares de Córdoba until Chinese second-division side Guangzhou FC came calling with a £275k transfer.
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And there now 22-year-old Alegria has come alive, scoring 18 times in 25 league appearances while also assisting four times.
That gives the target man a highly respectable return of 22 goal contributions in 25 games.
One league game remains with Guangzhou in third and still in with a chance of promotion although they are two points behind Dalian Yingbo.
The player looks back on his time at Ibrox with regret and feels the club didn't have a plan for his future.
Alegria told the Sunday Mail in 2023: "When Rangers tried to sign me I had high expectations. When you look at the situation or management from the inside, it is very tough and something I never knew about.
"I never felt as if Rangers had a plan for Juan and that cost time. I learned from the situation and it made me stronger as a person.
"I don't regret the move to Rangers but if I had the option to join again I would like to be advised on how everything works inside the club before moving.
"I never knew what was happening from the start and there was no plan. They [Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale] never told me anything about the situation and why I didn't get the opportunity.
"When I joined Rangers I was playing first-team football in Finland and I was put into the B team - I thought I did well. The first time I asked Rangers if there was a possibility to go on loan. The second time they had an offer from Falkirk.
"When I came back from Falkirk, Rangers were very disrespectful. They never told me anything clear about the situation.
"Some people at Rangers made me feel as if I was never a part of the club and acted as if the move never happened. But these people don't deserve a name."
Regardless of who's to blame for it all falling apart, it seems the young striker is determined to fight back in the face of adversity.
What Philippe Clement wouldn't give for a hungry young striker in such prolific form right now.
