Liverpool’s new young star can only play one more time for the club this year, even after shining against Monaco.
One of Liverpool’s most exciting young players can only play for the club one more time in 2026, even though he started in their 3-2 pre-season friendly loss to Monaco, chosen by coach Andoni Iraola.
The Reds are slowly getting back to full fitness as the Premier League season gets closer, with players returning from their breaks after the World Cup.
Liverpool picked a strong team for the match at Anfield on Saturday, including stars like Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, goalkeeper Alisson Becker, and captain Virgil van Dijk.
Isak put Liverpool ahead after 16 minutes with a brilliant team move. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai combined well before Gravenberch passed to Isak, who calmly scored. Isak then set up Wirtz to make it 2-0 on 29 minutes. Monaco pulled one back through a penalty just before halftime, scored by Alexander Golovin.
In the second half, Monaco came back with goals from former Arsenal striker Mika Biereth and young German forward Paul Brunner to win the game.
Also starting at Anfield was 18-year-old centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who has been impressive during pre-season while Liverpool faces injury problems in defense. He joined Liverpool at the start of the transfer window from Austria Wien for around £2.6 million.
Ndukwe looks like a player with a bright future at Liverpool. He played well in the first half against Monaco but was subbed off at halftime. However, he can only play one more competitive match for Liverpool this year.
This is because when he signed, he didn’t meet the points needed for a UK work permit, so he can’t play in competitive games yet. In the past, he might have gotten an Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) permit, which helps players who don’t qualify for the usual work permit. But new rules this season have cut the number of ESC slots for Premier League teams by one.
Another new signing, 18-year-old Senegalese defender Mor Talla Ndiaye, has taken the available ESC spot. This means Ndukwe won’t be able to play for Liverpool’s first team until at least 2027. To get game time, he’ll need to be loaned out. He can still play in Liverpool’s last pre-season match against Como next Saturday.
Ndukwe’s agent, Georg Lederer, told Sky Sports Austria in July, “A loan club will now be found where Ifeanyi can gain experience at a very high level. Despite this change, we see it as a great chance for him. Several top international clubs have already shown real interest in a loan.”
Lederer also said that Liverpool wanted Ndukwe to be part of the first team, not just the academy, if he had received his work permit.
While Iraola has been relying on young players during pre-season because of injuries in defense, Liverpool is close to signing a new centre-back. Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo is expected to join Anfield on a season-long loan, with no option to buy.
It’s not clear yet how much Araujo will play under Iraola, as Liverpool already have Virgil van Dijk, Giovanni Leoni, and new signing Jeremy Jacquet in defense. But he will add important cover after Joe Gomez’s injury and Ibrahima Konate’s free transfer departure this summer.