Several Liverpool youngsters seized the opportunity given to them by Andoni Iraola in the 4-2 win over Sunderland on Saturday, but one of them could soon be dispatched back to his former club.
An injury to Joe Gomez in the opening minutes of the game in Nashville saw Ifeanyi Ndukwe coming on in his place, and the teenage centre-back impressed alongside fellow academy gem Mor Talla Ndiaye for most of the match.
However, the 18-year-old doesn’t meet the critera for a UK work permit this season, so he’ll need to be loaned out in order to obtain game-time for the 2026/27 campaign (The Athletic).
Austrian outlet Sport ORF reported that the Liverpool defender could be loaned back to Austria Vienna, the club from whom the Reds signed him in January, with the deal becoming official at the start of this month.
The teenager – who cost LFC £2.5m at the beginning of this year (The Athletic) – made his senior debut for the Violets in May, a few weeks before linking up with the Merseysiders.
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Ndukwe earned plenty of praise for his performance against Sunderland at the weekend, with James Pearce hailing him as a ‘commanding’ figure (The Athletic) and Paul Gorst writing that the 18-year-old ‘looks a real presence already’ (Liverpool Echo).
He could have a further part to play during pre-season because of the shortage of senior centre-backs in Andoni Iraola’s squad, with Gomez and Giovanni Leoni out injured, Jeremy Jacquet nursing a minor issue and Virgil van Dijk yet to return from his World Cup involvement.
This experience with the Reds’ first team should do him the world of good, and while it’s a shame that he isn’t eligible for a UK work permit as of yet, a prospective loan return to Austria Vienna would seem ideal for his development.
He’d have a much better chance of playing regular senior football with the Violets, and he’d be going back to an environment with which he’s already familiar.
We eagerly await to see what happens with Ndukwe over the next few months, but hopefully he can build upon his fine performance against Sunderland in our remaining pre-season games and secure plenty of game-time elsewhere in the upcoming campaign.
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