‘So composed’ – James Pearce heaps praise on ‘commanding’ Liverpool beast v Monaco
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James Pearce heaped praise on one ‘commanding’ Liverpool player in the first half of this afternoon’s friendly against Monaco at Anfield.The Reds are back at home after a three-match tour to the United States to begin Andoni Iraola’s reign as head coach, when the Basque had a good look at numerous academy players in the absence of several established stars.One of those who impressed the most on Stateside is Ifeanyi Ndukwe, whose performances at centre-back belied his tender age of 18.Pearce singles out Ndukwe for praiseThe Austrian started today’s match alongside Virgil van Dijk (who’s almost twice his age) at the heart of the Liverpool defence, and he had the home fans gasping in delight in the opening minutes after an exquisite backheel to wrong-foot Monaco’s Mika Biereth.Pearce singled out the teenage centre-back for praise as he posted on X: ‘Ndukwe carrying on where he left off on the pre-season tour. The young Austrian defender so composed and commanding.’Want more Empire of the Kop coverage?
Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustNdukwe looks like an exceptional talentLiverpool may have had a major shortage of centre-backs on the recent tour to the U.S., something which hasn’t been lost on FSG as they close in on a loan move for Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo, but the displays of Ndukwe have been massively encouraging for the future.The teenager has made a single competitive senior appearance (as a stoppage-time substitute for previous club Austria Vienna), but he’s played with a maturity beyond his years for the Reds in pre-season, putting his body on the line defensively and playing with Van Dijk-esque composure. Ifeanyi Ndukwepic.twitter.com/X3iYG2RVuB — ً (@k4comps) August 9, 2026Unfortunately, the youngster will have to be loaned out for the 2026/27 campaign as he doesn’t meet the critera for a UK work permit (The Athletic), with a potential return to the Austrian capital having been mooted.However, if such a move helps Ndukwe to obtain regular football over the next nine months and return to Liverpool an even more rounded player, it can only be a positive thing for his development.On his first outing at Anfield, he’s looked like someone who could be a massive part of the Reds’ future, which is extremely helpful when the legendary Van Dijk is into the twilight of his career.