Liverpool starlet Ifeanyi Ndukwe has been made to wait before making his first start for Levante after the frustrating postponement of the La Liga clash against Athletic Club
Ifeanyi Ndukwe is on loan with Levante.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe is on loan with Levante.(Image: Francis González/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Young Liverpool defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe was due to make his first start on loan with the Spanish side Levante earlier, but the game was postponed at the last minute.
The La Liga clash against Athletic Club was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. The teenager made his debut off the bench against Barcelona a few days ago and was rewarded with a place in the starting XI.
After some very bad weather, though, with large puddles visible on the pitch, the match was deemed unplayable. No new date has yet been confirmed, though Ndukwe could feature against Villarreal next weekend.
Ndukwe impressed for Liverpool during the first summer under Andoni Iraola, but he is not yet in a position to get a work permit in England.
That will have changed by the time we reach January, with Liverpool holding the option to bring Ndukwe back at that point. It might be decided, if he is established in the team, to carry on the arrangement instead.
Signed from Austria Vienna, Ndukwe, alongside the likes of Mor Talla Ndiaye and Samuel Martinez, represents one of the young talents brought in by Liverpool in a deliberate strategy in recent times.
Lucca Brughmans, the 18-year-old goalkeeper brought in for a fee that could reach $41 million (£30 million), is another to fit into that category. He is currently back with Genk until next summer.
The Belgians' director of football, Dimitri de Conde, expressed his surprise at Liverpool's transfer swoop for Brughmans earlier this week.
"My first reaction was: 'Oh boy, what now?' After all, a team had to take the field just a few days later," De Conde replied when he was asked by Het Laatste Nieuws (translated by Sport Witness) if he was surprised when the offer came in from the Premier League giant.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe of Levante UD looks on during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between Levante UD and FC Barcelona at Estadi Ciutat de Valencia on September 13, 2026 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Ifeanyi Ndukwe made his debut for Levante against Barcelona(Image: Getty Images)
"But then, seeing how Lucca performed at Anderlecht... and I’m not just talking about those two fantastic saves, but also his presence and his post-match interviews.
"I knew he was on the radar of top clubs, that he’d even visited Real Madrid, and that he was one of the lads we hoped to get a handsome fee for at some point, to ensure the club’s survival.
"But for it to happen *that* quickly. And for that amount... I never saw that coming. That’s exactly the point.
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"People saying ‘It’s fantastic what De Conde achieved with his experience regarding Lucca’s transfer!’? Sorry, but that’s not the case. In the end, I got a call from his agency at 11am on a Sunday, two days before the English transfer window closed.
"Liverpool is serious. ‘This is the offer.’ And the very next morning, Lucca was on a plane to Liverpool. I do take credit for the fact that we, as a club, chose that path.
"I don’t pick the starting line-up — let’s be clear about that — but at a certain point, we gave Lucca his chance. It might have only been in the Play-Off 2 stage, but we did it nonetheless."