Liverpool's Ifeanyi Ndukwe looks on during a game
Liverpool's Ifeanyi Ndukwe looks on during a game
Daniel Bartel/Getty Images
Levante boss Luis Castro has hailed Liverpool on loan defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe for his mentality, as the teenager scored a last-minute equaliser against Sevilla on Monday night.
In the last winter window, the Reds agreed to sign the Austrian centre-back from Austria Vienna on a deal worth £2.6m.
He played only one senior game for Austria Vienna before joining the Premier League giants this summer on a five-year contract.
The teenager defender’s agent Georg Lederer admitted that the Anfield outfit were looking to loan him out to continue his development with regular game time.
La Liga side Levante were able to loan Ndukwe in for the entirety of the current campaign, but he did not start his first game for Granotas until Monday.
Ndukwe made a mistake in the 13th minute of the game, giving the ball to Sevilla forward Robbie Ure, who scored.
Castro, though, did not take the teenage defender off, and in the 100th minute, he scored from a rebound to rescue a point for Levante.
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The Granotas boss lauded Ndukwe for his mentality for keep going despite making such a mistake early doors in the game, which he feels players that are fragile mentally just do not do.
The 65-year-old praised his overall performance and believes that he has the potential to become one of the best defenders in the world.
“A player his age who makes a mistake like this and continues with the same composure shows his strength. I wish it were his last, but he won’t be the last player to make a mistake”, Castro said via Marca.
“The goal will be good for him because it will give him stability.
“After a mistake, a player with a fragile mentality doesn’t play like he did.
“He has enormous potential. If he develops normally, he can be one of the best in the world in his position.”
Levante are expected to fight a relegation battle all season in the Spanish top-flight and playing every week in such circumstances could be beneficial to help Ndukwe build a tough mentality.
Liverpool will be keeping a close eye on how their talent does in Spain, but it is clear that Levante boss Castro rates him highly already.