Future Liverpool signing Ifeanyi Ndukwe made his Austria Wien debut on Sunday (May 10), when he came off the bench in the 93rd minute of their 2-0 win over Rapid Wien.

Credit: Liverpool FC

Ifeanyi Ndukwe signs for Liverpool

The 18-year-old centre-back has been at the club since the age of eight and has officially agreed to a £2.6 million plus add-ons move to Liverpool this summer. Standing at 6ft 6in, Ndukwe has been a regular for Austria Wien’s reserve team, Young Violets, since their 2024/25 promotion-winning season.

He has the profile of a typical Liverpool defender, with good recovery pace, front-foot defending, and a strong long passing range. Internationally, the 18-year-old has represented Austria at U17, U18, and U19 levels.

The highlight of Ndukwe’s Austria career to date is a run to the U17 World Cup final last summer. The defender was on the scoresheet as his side beat England 4-0 in the Round of 16.

Liverpool have said that Ndukwe will link up with their U21 side this summer, but the signings of the giant defender, alongside the January additions of Mor Talla Ndiaye and Noah Adekoya, are a serious attempt to address the Reds’ lack of depth at centre-back.

Bosses at Anfield seem keen to bring in high-upside young centre-backs who can contribute to the first team over the next three years. This will help ease the eventual departure of Virgil van Dijk and stop the Reds spending £50 million on a new defender every summer.

For the U21s, Ndukwe will be linking up with an improving centre-back class. Talla Ndiaye, Adekoya, Amara Nallo, Carter Pinnington, and Wellity Lucky will provide the 18-year-old with significant competition for places next season. This will help the U21s thrive in the PL2 and beyond and may see Arne Slot give more of his youngsters an opportunity in the upcoming campaign.