Liverpool used a handful of young players in pre-season when most of their senior players were unavailable during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And Ifeanyi Ndukwe made a massive impression under Andoni Iraola with a string of assured displays at the heart of the backline.
The 18-year-old wasn’t eligible for a work permit in England, due to which he had to be loaned out to La Liga side Levante.
And although Levante lost 4-2 to Barcelona yesterday, Ndukwe came on in the second half as a late substitute to make his long-awaited debut for the club.
And Luis Castro suggested that the youngster is coming along quite well after swapping Liverpool for Spain.
Levante manager praises Liverpool loanee Ifeanyi Ndukwe
“They’ve been playing well, but I think they’ll improve,” said the Levante boss after the game when asked about Ndukwe.
“Petar has just arrived and has made some tactical errors that he needs to iron out. Ndukwe has come in well.
“They’ll help us in the future. We’re gaining more players, and I think it’s important for the future to have more options.”
Ndukwe was one of Liverpool’s brightest prospects in pre-season.
If his work permit wasn’t an issue, he could well have remained at Anfield as a back-up central defender as the Reds wait for Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez to return from injuries.
The Austrian can be recalled from his loan spell in January and it’ll be interesting to see what Liverpool do with him as he’s clearly shown that he is capable of being a useful player for the club despite being so young.
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