Former Newcastle United starlet Yasin Ben El-Mhanni is on trial at Championship club Reading as he looks to resurrect his career.
The 26-year-old winger has been playing largely in lower league football after leaving Newcastle in 2018 in the wake of a complaint of racism and bullying that saw academy coach Peter Beardsley banned for eight months.
El-Mhanni has been at Reading for several weeks as manager Paul Ince assesses whether to sign him.
But the speedy and skilful wideman is also attracting interest from several other clubs in the Premier League and Championship.
El-Mhanni was involved in Reading's pre-season friendlies against West Ham, AFC Wimbledon and Brighton last month.
Born in Shepherd's Bush, west London, El-Mhanni played futsal on the streets before joining the AG Football Academy.
His natural trickery and improvisation with a ball at his feet saw El-Mhanni used as a body double for the likes of Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo in commercials.
Meanwhile, his North African heritage and similar style of play saw him nicknamed the 'Non-League Riyad Mahrez' when he turned out for the likes of Farnborough and Lewes.
During 2015 and 2016, El-Mhanni went on trial at a number of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, Watford, Bournemouth, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace.
But Newcastle swooped to sign him in July 2016 and then-manager Rafa Benitez quickly promoted him into his first-team squad.
El-Mhanni played for the Toon in two FA Cup ties against Birmingham City and Oxford United during the 2016-17 season.
In January 2018, the young player filed a grievance against Beardsley, accusing him of bullying and disclination.
A Football Association independent panel found the former England international guilty of three charges of racially abusing black players while coach of Newcastle's under-23 team and banned him for 32 weeks.
El-Mhanni was released by Newcastle in the summer of 2018 and signed for League One club Scunthorpe United, where he made eight appearances over two seasons.
He has since played for Southern League outfits Chesham United and Harrow Borough but his trial with the Royals could lead to an EFL return.
Reading have started their campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Blackpool and a 2-1 win over Cardiff City but they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Stevenage this week.