Liverpool have recalled youngster Jordan Ibe from loan.
The 19 year old was sent out on loan at Derby County, where he was enjoying a successful spell. He has already played 24 times for the Rams this season, with 20 of these appearances coming in the Championship. He has been instrumental in Derby’s season as the club sits in the second place in the table.
Ibe joined Liverpool from Wycombe in 2012. He has appeared twice for the Reds in the Premier League. He got his Premier League debut in the final game of the 2012-13 season (Jamie Carragher’s last game), where he started the match and assisted Philippe Coutinho for the only goal of the game against Queens Park Rangers.
He was loaned out to Birmingham February last year. After a successful pre-season with the Reds this time out, he was sent out on loan to Derby County as the Reds believed that the player needs regular game time to continue his development.
Brendan Rodgers recently commented that the club could bring him back to Merseyside before his loan officially ended.
“It is a loan to the end of season but we could bring him back if we need to because there is a review in January,” Rodgers said.
“We need to decide whether it is the right thing to bring him back or continue with the great development he’s getting at Derby at the moment. If we do bring him back it will be to contribute.”
“I’ve seen Jordan in a lot of the games and he’s been outstanding. That’s the reason why we sent him out – we felt that getting that game experience would help him.”
“In the game against Leeds on Tuesday, he was so exciting. You can see how he fits into our model and how we play. He’s doing very well. He’s 19 years of age and he’s going to be a great player for Liverpool in the future”.
It is now clear that the Reds management reviewed and discussed that the youngster should come back after a successful first half with the Rams.
The 19 year-old winger is one of the most highly-rated youngsters at Anfield, and many have tipped him to prove even more effectual than Raheem Sterling once he makes a breakthrough with the senior side. Liverpool have struggled in the first half of the season and sit in the eighth place. The Reds are not expected to do much transfer activity in the winter as Rodgers believes he cannot buy the right players this month. Getting Ibe back could prove to be the perfect attacking reinforcement they need. The Reds are still in three cup competitions and if the youngster capitalizes on the potential chances he gets in these games, he could very much play some part in the league campaign. His pre-season performances were very encouraging and the Anfield faithful would be excited about his recall.