Liverpool to let youngster leave on loan after he was banned from playing this season
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Liverpool is set to send a number of its young players out on loan this summer, among them being one of the stars of the recent US tour who can't play for the Reds in the new seasonIfeanyi Ndukwe will not be able to play for Liverpool in the new season(Image: Getty Images)Liverpool will let Ifeanyi Ndukwe head out on loan this summer, despite the young defender having only completed his move to Anfield last month.The 18-year-old was one of the standout performers during the Reds’ pre-season tour of the United States, having been called upon to deputize in the place of first-team defenders Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni.Ndukwe was signed by Liverpool back in January to join the club’s academy setup, although he didn’t make the switch from Austria Wien until earlier this summer before being immediately thrust into Andoni Iraola’s team as a result of Gomez’s injury 10 minutes into the opening friendly against Sunderland.Iraola will not be able to call upon the teenager during the 2026/27 season though. Ndukwe does not meet the necessary points to get a work permit in the UK, meaning he is ineligible to play for the Reds in the new campaign.As a result, The Athletic confirms that Ndukwe is one of the players Liverpool will let leave on loan.
Learn moreLiverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign.With Ndukwe unavailable, Liverpool’s options at the back are running low. Virgil van Dijk will be back available for the remaining pre-season fixtures against Monaco and Como, having been given an extended break following the World Cup and started training back at the club’s Merseyside training base.Gomez though is expected to miss the start of the new season, with Iraola having already ruled him out of the opening game against Newcastle on August 23, while Leoni is still recovering from the ACL injury he sustained on debut last September.Jacquet, meanwhile, is yet to play any minutes since completing his move from Rennes, and fresh doubts have been cast over his involvement during the remainder of pre-season.Jeremy Jacquet is yet to play in pre-season for Liverpool.
He had originally been expected to play some part against Leeds at the weekend, only to be left out of the squad again after missing training a couple of days earlier.“He [Jacquet] did the first part of the pre-season, let’s say, very well. Now he’s feeling some discomfort, so we don’t want to rush him,” Iraola explained at the weekend.“He comes from a lot of months without playing.