Liverpool's Ifeayni Ndukwe Set For La Liga Loan Move

With concerns that Liverpool lack enough defensive cover to be able to compete for major trophies this season, it might confuse a few fans to see Ifeanyi Ndukwe, an Austrian centre back who looked immense for Liverpool during pre-season, packing his bags and heading out on loan ahead of the new campaign getting underway.

Ifeayni Ndukwe signed for Liverpool back in January for an initial £2.6 million from Austria Wien, and was identified by scouts as a defender, who despite his age, has similar characteristics to Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk. 

Seen as a front footed, aggressive defender, who had an excellent passing range and strong recovery pace, Ndukwe starred for Austria's Under 17 in the recent U17 World Cup, and this tournament sealed the deal for Liverpool to go out and secure their man. 

17 years old at the time, Ndukwe was unable to join up with LFC until this summer, and it was thought that he was going to be placed in the U21 set up for the upcoming season.

But the defender travelled out with the senior squad to America for their pre-season tour, and partly due to a lack of alternatives in defence, was given the chance to shine in the Reds three games over in the States.

And across all three games, Ndukwe impressed everyone, despite being inexperienced, he looked like a player who had been wearing the LFC shirt for years. So calm on the ball, completing 100% of his long range passes in his first game, and he only improved from there. 

This led to many fans thinking that Ndukwe could be a serious option for Andoni Iraola and Liverpool going into this season, especially with Joe Gomez picking up an injury while out in America, and Giovanni Leoni still recovering from his ACL injury.

No matter how well Ndukwe played for the Reds while in the US, he needed to go out on loan upon his return. This is due to a work permit issue, as he currently fails to qualify for one in the UK, meaning he is unable to play competitive football for the Reds. 

So, while this is an unfortunate set of events, it might allow Ndukwe to come back from his loan an even better player, as the hope is that he plays regular football and could potentially earn enough points by January to obtain a UK work permit and join back up with Andoni Iraola's squad. 

A key part in the decision as to where to send young Ifeayni Ndukwe out on loan was the league and quality of the side. The higher the league, the easier it is to earn points for a UK work permit.

According to David Lynch, the 18 year old is closing in on a move to La Liga side Levante on a season long loan, but the loan is expected to contain a break clause in it, which would allow Liverpool to recall the defender in January, should they wish to do so. 

Sky Sports Austria has gone one step further and stated that Ndukwe is set to fly to Spain in the coming days and sign a contract to join Levante on a deal until the end of the season.  

This not only gives Ndukwe the chance to secure a UK work permit, but it also allows him to get the experience of playing top flight senior football, in one of the biggest leagues in Europe, which will only enhance the development of Ifeayni Ndukwe.