Rodgers lauds his latest wonderkid…
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has lauded 19-year-old winger Jordon Ibe, who he recalled from his loan spell at Derby County earlier this month.
The teenager excelled in the Championship, and since being brought back to Liverpool, Ibe has made two Premier League appearances from the bench, looking dangerous during both short cameos.
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“I think he’s ready now. You saw what he can do in his cameo and it’s just unfortunate that he’s not available for the cups,” Rodgers told the official website.
“But I brought him back because with the set-up of the team there are more opportunities for him to play now. He can play in maybe four positions.”
Due to the currently used 3-4-3 formation, Ibe can do a job on the right or left at wing-back, or in one of the two attacking midfield roles – and he’s even played as a centre-forward during his youth career.
“He’s diligent enough. He gets forward but he also gets back, recovers well, so there are going to be more opportunities for him,” Rodgers continued.
“I think he’s going to be a big player for us because he’s a wonderful talent with his power and pace, and he will be huge for us in the coming years.”
Luckily for the youngster, his characteristics suit our style of football perfectly, and he can expect more games from the bench during the second half of the season.
Ibe’s rapid, can dribble – and works as hard going forward as he does when the opposition are in possession – which is a trait Rodgers demands of all his players.
Right now, Ibe’s arguably our most exciting young talent, and we’ve proved with our development of Raheem Sterling that we’ve the perfect club to hone his incredible ability.