Van Dijk had barely stepped off the pitch at Anfield when he was asked about the teenager who spent 45 minutes partnering him at the back. His answer left no doubt about how the captain rates the summer signing.

“Big talent, big guy. Wants to learn, I had a good conversation with him, especially the last couple of days,” Van Dijk said after the 2-3 defeat.

“It seems a shame that he’s got to go on loan because he’s like a real prospect.”

Ndukwe, signed from Austria Wien in the summer, cannot be registered for the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup or European competition. Under the Football Association’s Governing Body Endorsement rules, an overseas signing must either secure an automatic pass via senior international minutes or clear a 15-point threshold covering domestic minutes, continental appearances, national-team caps and club ranking. His total, built largely in the Austrian second tier, falls just short.

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One more friendly, then a loan

Ndukwe made his first impression in the 4-2 pre-season win over Sunderland in Nashville on 25 July, one of the games Andoni Iraola used to look at the deeper end of his squad.

He impressed again at Anfield on Sunday, playing calmly on the ball and drawing applause from the crowd before he was replaced at the interval.

Only Liverpool’s final friendly against Como on 16 August remains open to him. After that, a loan move becomes the only route to competitive minutes for 2026-27.

A January recall in view

The strategy Liverpool are working with points to a Band 1 league loan, the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A or Ligue 1, where senior appearances and any continental football would push Ndukwe over the 15-point line.

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If he clears the threshold by the winter window, the club can recall him in January and register him for the second half of the season.

Van Dijk kept his message to the teenager short.

“Wherever he goes, he needs to learn, get better, and be ready when he comes back to hopefully stay.”

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