Liverpool's lack of players in the defence has created an issue for Andoni Iraola, and while one star has impressed in preseason, he won't be available for selection.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe of Liverpool in action with Aleksandr Golovin of AS Monaco during the pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco
Ifeanyi Ndukwe cannot play for Liverpool at the start of the season(Image: (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images))
Liverpool's backline has become an area of concern for Andoni Iraola, with a lack of options available to the manager due to injury troubles.
Joe Gomez picked up an early injury in preseason, while Jeremy Jacquet has been managing a knee issue, and Giovanni Leoni is making his own recovery from a long-term concern.
That has required Iraola to dip into the academy options to fill the centre-back ranks in particular, with several stars impressing before the return of Virgil van Dijk and the signing of Ronald Araujo. Among them has been Ifeanyi Ndukwe, the defender Liverpool signed from Austria Wien as a promising prospect for the future.
At just 18, the Austrian youngster showed plenty of quality against senior opposition, using his tall frame and mobility to beat attackers to duels.
That led to many fans hoping that Ndukwe could be the solution to Iraola's concerns at centre-back, along with the other options who are set to return in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, though, that won't be the case for Liverpool, as the center-back is banned from playing due to rules surrounding work permits in the UK.
Work permits in post-Brexit Britain require a player to receive a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) to be eligible for selection, a process that has slimmed the transfer options available to many clubs.
A GBE is obtained through points earned in a player's career to that point, something Ndukwe doesn't have enough of because of his limited playing time in senior football so far.
Liverpool youngster Ifeanyi Ndukwe
Liverpool youngster Ifeanyi Ndukwe is not short of suitors (Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))
There is an alternative to a GBE, which is an Elite Significant Contribution (ESC), which is a slot handed to those who don't meet the work permit rules but can feature until they are eligible.
Premier League clubs can earn up to four of these spaces, but they are determined by the number of minutes given to England Qualified Players (EQP).
Because Liverpool didn't give enough minutes to homegrown players, there is only one slot available for this summer, which was taken by the arrival of Mor Talla Ndiaye.
It means that Ndukwe will need to go out on loan before the end of the summer transfer window to earn minutes in another league and accrue points towards his work permit at the same time.
Liverpool will need to be strategic with where the 18-year-old ends up to ensure he gets the right amount of points so he can feature as soon as possible.