What Can Liverpool Realistically Expect from Jordon Ibe in the 2015/16 Season?
Jordon Ibe is set to commit his long-term future to Liverpool this week by signing a new contract, reports claim, but what can manager Brendan Rodgers realistically expect from the winger in 2015/16?
Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo reported: "The youngster has agreed terms on a long-term deal, which will keep him at Anfield until 2020.
"It is reward for the 19-year-old’s impressive development, with Reds boss Brendan Rodgers confident Ibe can become a significant player for the club in the coming years."
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Just how significant a player he can be next season remains to be seen, but this is clearly a move designed to tie down the talents of one of the club's highest-potential young players.
Jordon Ibe
Ibe burst into the collective consciousness earlier this season, with a series of eye-catching performances as part of Steve McClaren's charge for promotion from the Championship in the first half of 2014/15.
The 19-year-old made 20 league appearances for the Rams, scoring five goals and making one assist, bamboozling defences with his skill and pace, averaging 2.6 dribbles per game.
With Liverpool set to recall the winger in January, McClaren praised his development at the iPro Stadium, as reported by Jack Wilson of the Star:
"When he first came we gave Jordon a ball on his own and gave the team the other ball. Now he’s learning to be a team player and developing into that. He’s learning he needs end product to his game. We're developing him for Liverpool and in the meantime to help us win games.
[...]
It’s up to him how good he wants to be and up to Liverpool, but we can just develop him for Liverpool and get good habits into him. His all-round game has improved, his defensive responsibilities, his work-rate, his concentration but the biggest thing is becoming a team player.
"
This significant improvement under McClaren did indeed see Ibe recalled to Rodgers' Liverpool squad at the start of January, and the youngster has hit the ground running since then.
Ibe was outstanding, for example, in Liverpool's 0-0 draw away to Everton in February, with Rodgers declaring after the game, as reported by BBC Sport, that: "I had no qualms about putting him in, it was a brilliant performance."
Captain Steven Gerrard also added: "Jordon was fantastic and was man of the match. It was a sensational performance from him and he's got a big future."
Despite only featuring in a handful of league games for the Reds so far, he can comfortably be considered an important player for Rodgers, having tied down the right wing-back role in Liverpool's 3-4-2-1 system, dislodging Lazar Markovic.
After returning from a recent, six-week injury spell, Rodgers described Ibe as "absolutely sensational," according to Dominic King for MailOnline.
Ibe is a player of significant potential, and 2015/16 could well be his breakout year for Liverpool.
Premier League Precedent
To measure what can be expected of a player of Ibe's potential in 2015/16, however, it is wise to examine the fortunes of those of a similar age in the Premier League this season.
Ibe will turn 20 at the end of 2015.
This season, Tottenham Hotspur's Nabil Bentaleb, Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, Arsenal's Hector Bellerin and Calum Chambers, Manchester United's Paddy McNair, Luke Shaw and Adnan Januzaj, Chelsea's Kurt Zouma and Aston Villa's Jack Grealish stand out as notable players of a similar age.
Of these players, only three have made over 20 Premier League appearances in 2014/15—Chambers, Bentaleb and Ward-Prowse.
Only Bentaleb has played close to 90 minutes on average over each of these games, with the Algerian emerging as a key figure in Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino's midfield.
Perhaps barring Januzaj, Shaw and Chambers, however, each of these 20-and-under Premier League stars can be considered to have had successful seasons, but it is clear that this has been tempered with patience from their respective managers.
A player in a similar position to this group is soon-to-be Premier League prospect Divock Origi, who has spent the season on loan with Ligue 1 side Lille before making the move to Merseyside for 2015/16.
Origi recently spoke of his excitement at playing alongside Ibe in Liverpool colours, as reported by the club's official website:
"To see the players develop and play in a top league in such a young team, for me it's very exciting. When you see how the coach and the staff work with the young players—how [Raheem] Sterling, for example, has learned over the years and how Ibe is now integrating with the team, it is very interesting. It is very nice to have seen that this season.
"
Origi is 20 years old himself, and he has played a key role for Lille this season, making just under 30 appearances in various positions in the attacking line. However, he has struggled to make his mark this term, failing to score consistently.
This perhaps represents the danger of putting too much pressure on a young player such as Ibe, with Origi seemingly trudging along with the weight of expectancy in the No. 27 shirt this term.
However, on the opposite pole to this is the player that Origi mentioned alongside Ibe.
The Next Raheem Sterling?
Due to his attacking prowess and his youthful status within the Liverpool squad, Ibe has often been labelled "the next Raheem Sterling," such as via the Daily Mail back in May of last year.
The report continued: "He is often compared to Sterling and the prospect of those two lining up on either flank is a quite scary one for Premier League defences."
While the prediction was for Ibe to take full part in Liverpool's 2014/15 season, this will now likely become a reality for Rodgers' side in the next season. But can Ibe truly emulate Sterling at Liverpool, and is this a fair benchmark to set?
A year older than Ibe, Sterling has been a key figure for the Reds this term, playing the third-most minutes of any Liverpool player in the Premier League.
Rodgers has leaned heavily on Sterling in terms of his versatility and his tactical maturity.
But the 20-year-old is a very rare prospect, one whom will likely require a fee close to £50 million if he is to depart the club in the near future.
Ibe, while a player of immense potential, must not be held up as "the next Raheem Sterling." However, he can play a similarly key role in Rodgers' side next season, and Liverpool supporters can expect him to take up a regular position in the starting lineup, with the manager patiently tailoring his development.
As Origi declared: "[Rodgers is] someone who has proven he knows how to work with young players, knows how to develop young players and also lets them play."
Realistically, Ibe can look to play a major role for Liverpool next season, alongside Origi and Sterling.
But like Chambers, Ward-Prowse and Januzaj, this must be approached with a measure of realism and sensitivity. He won't necessarily perform in every game.
In Rodgers, he has the right manager to oversee this and will hopefully kick on with fulfilling his potential in 2015/16.
Statistics via WhoScored.com and Squawka.com.
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