Jordon Ibe will spend the year plying his trade in the Championship…
Liverpool have confirmed the loan of 18-year-old flyer Jordon Ibe to Championship side Derby County via their official website.
The wonderkid, who is extremely highly rated on Merseyside and enjoyed an excellent pre-season, will play for Steve McClaren’s promotion contenders to get the first-team experience he requires.
Ibe has so far made three appearances for the first-team, and was part of the tour to America this summer. With the likes of Raheem Sterling, Coutinho, Lazar Markovic, Adam Lallana and Suso to name but a few all competing for attacking midfield positions though, Ibe’s manager Brendan Rodgers felt it best for the youngster to temporarily switch to get as much playing time as possible.
Ibe prides himself on his unbelievable speed and dribbling ability. He’s been regularly compared to Sterling, but is far stockier than the England international – but has yet to develop the same level of ball control.
Last year Derby took Liverpool’s young right-back Andre Wisdom on loan, and it’s clear that a good relationship exists between the sides – which could eventually help pave a deal for England under-21 international Will Hughes to move to Anfield.