Jordon Ibe: Why Liverpool Must Keep Faith with Star for the Rest of the Season
Recalled early from his loan spell with Derby County this season, Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe has already impressed with a clutch of displays for Brendan Rodgers' side, and the Reds manager should keep faith in his blossoming young talent.
After 20 Championship appearances with the Rams, Ibe has returned to feature briefly against Aston Villa and West Ham United, before full appearances against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Ibe represents a bright future for Liverpool, and he can clearly make an impact this season.
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Rodgers must keep faith with the 19-year-old within his first-team squad, and will surely reap the benefits of his continued inclusion in the years to come.
Jordon Ibe
After a fruitful loan spell with Birmingham City last season, another temporary spell at the iPro Stadium was sanctioned in August, with a view to continue his development under a fine-tuned manager in Steve McLaren.
Ibe initially struggled to break into McLaren's first team, but went on to make 20 appearances in the Championship, typically on the left-hand side of the Rams' 4-3-3.
At Derby, Ibe scored five league goals, including a sensational solo effort against Birmingham in December.
Clearly impressed with the progress Ibe had made under McLaren, Rodgers cut short the winger's loan in mid-January, as reported by BBC Sport.
Ibe swiftly came into Rodgers' side with cameo appearances in wins over Villa and West Ham, after which the manager underlined his importance to the side, via Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo.
"I think he’s ready now," Rodgers said, before continuing: "I brought him back because with the set-up of the team there are more opportunities for him to play now. He can play in maybe four positions."
While Ibe had previously shown versatility with appearances on either attacking flank, Rodgers saw fit to include him as a surprise replacement for a resting Lazar Markovic in the right wing-back role, and the 19-year-old excelled.
Ibe then dovetailed well with Markovic, who assumed a No. 10 role, in Liverpool's 3-2 league win at home to Spurs.
As Rodgers continued prior to these appearances that "[Ibe] will be huge for us in the coming years," it is clear to see why the manager has such faith in him already.
Raheem Sterling and Liverpool's Blossoming Youth
That Ibe has slotted in so comfortably into Rodgers' side this season is a testament not only to his quality, but the shared nature of the squad as a whole.
Young, hungry and improving at a frightening rate, Liverpool look set to become a powerful force in the Premier League if their many youthful stars follow the trajectory their potential affords them.
Markovic (20), Philippe Coutinho (22), Alberto Moreno (21) and Emre Can (21) all represent important members of Rodgers' squad and, with slightly older players Jordan Henderson (24), Daniel Sturridge (25), Mamadou Sakho (25) and Mario Balotelli (24), could form a potent core in the future.
Ibe joins an ever-blossoming squad, with another young star arguably at its helm in Raheem Sterling.
Sterling, at just 20 years old, should serve as the perfect example of why Rodgers should continue to feature Ibe in Liverpool's first team this season.
After making his Liverpool debut as a 17-year-old in a 2-1 away defeat to Wigan Athletic in the league in 2012, Sterling swiftly went on to become an integral member of the Liverpool first team, with his progress only accelerating following Rodgers' appointment.
Sterling has already made 83 Premier League appearances for the Reds, and is arguably Rodgers' most important player.
Like Ibe, Sterling has shown great tactical versatility by playing all across the front line, as a centre-forward and as a wing-back—both players are quick, direct, dynamic and fearless.
What sets Ibe apart from Sterling is his physique, with the 19-year-old more bullish than his counterpart.
At exactly a year older than Ibe, Sterling stands as a benchmark for the winger, and a symbol of the blossoming youth that Ibe can join in Rodgers' squad.
His words on Ibe's progress, via Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo, should be particularly encouraging: "His development over the last few months has been massive; hopefully he can continue that and be a really important player for the team."
Sterling should serve as motivation to progress even further, however, and the England international's current contractual impasse may require Ibe to step up in the most disappointing of eventualities.
Sterling's Contract
There has been much speculation this season already as to the long-term future of Sterling, with many of Europe's top clubs linked with a move for the forward.
With only two-and-a-half years left on his deal, Liverpool are keen to secure his services.
Rodgers recently commented, as reported by BBC Sport, that "the club has offered an incredible deal for [Sterling as] a young player," continuing: "We believe this will be the best place for him and I believe he knows that as well."
Furthermore, words from Liverpool's chairman Tom Werner, in an exclusive interview with the Liverpool Echo, adds to this feeling of security: "All I can say is that I’m hopeful that we’ll conclude a deal."
However, that there remains a kernel of doubt on this topic will spark fear amongst Liverpool supporters.
The club have historically sold their best players if the price is right, as £75 million for Luis Suarez, £30 million for Xabi Alonso and £50 million for Fernando Torres underlines, and if this impasse continues, Sterling could be the next name on that list.
This stands as another reason why Liverpool must keep faith with Ibe this season.
In the unlikely eventuality that Sterling leaves Liverpool in the future, for a club the size of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, Ibe is the player best placed to assume his mantle.
Ideally, however, Rodgers can call on the pair's complementing talents together in the long term, starting with the rest of this season.
Encouragingly, as reported by Chris Shaw for the LiverpoolFC.com last week, Rodgers has claimed that "he will play a big part for us between now and the end of the season."
Brendan Rodgers looks set to keep faith in Jordon Ibe this season, and the promising Liverpool winger will undoubtedly reward this on the pitch.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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