One player at Liverpool is expected to make a big decision on his future in the coming days after catching the eye during pre-season.
When Andoni Iraola was deprived of all four of his senior centre-backs for most of the U.S. tour over the past month, he turned to some of the Reds’ academy players to show him what they could do for the team.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe seized his opportunity by putting in a string of performances that James Pearce described as ‘so composed and commanding‘, although the Austrian teenager won’t be able to play competitively in England as he doesn’t yet qualify for a UK work permit.
The 18-year-old has duly been the recipient of ‘strong offers’ from clubs around Europe in recent days, and a decision on which one to join could soon be made.
Ndukwe to decide on loan destination ‘this week’
In the latest edition of The Athletic‘s Transfer DealSheet, which was published on Tuesday morning, Gregg Evans and James Pearce wrote that Ndukwe is ‘expected to decide on a loan move this week after weighing up multiple offers’.
The teenager wasn’t included in the squad for either of the two matches against Como on Sunday, having been given the day off.
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A big decision awaits for Ndukwe and Liverpool
The Athletic reported last week that Ndukwe had offers from clubs in Austria, Portugal, Germany and Denmark, with additional interest from suitors based in Belgium, Spain and France, so he won’t be stuck for choice when it comes to deciding upon a loan move for this season.
The single most important factor in choosing which offer to accept is the prospect of regular game-time, so that he can accrue all-important senior experience with a view to ultimately breaking through at Liverpool in the long-term, but there are other considerations to take into account as well.
As we explained previously, a UK work permit is obtained through a points system which encompasses a footballer’s experience at international level, the number of minutes played, their involvement in European club competition and the strength of the domestic league in which they’re playing.
Put simply, Ndukwe would earn far more points at a Bundesliga side who are also involved in Europe (e.g. Freiburg) than he would for a mid-table team in the Danish Superliga or Austrian Bundesliga, and that’d expedite his progress towards getting a work permit to play in England.
The 18-year-old will have a massive decision to make in the coming days, and we just hope that whichever offer he accepts will ultimately prove to be the right one for him and his development, so that he can build upon the enormous promise he showed for Liverpool in pre-season.