Liverpool's Austrian Signing Ndukwe Barred from Playing in England

Ifeanyi Ndukwe, a U17 vice-world champion, faces a setback in his professional football career as he is unable to secure a work visa to play in England for Liverpool. The transfer, initially hailed as a significant success, has hit a major roadblock due to the UK's post-Brexit immigration rules.

Ndukwe, who previously played for Austria, participated in one test match for Liverpool in the United States due to an injury to Joe Gomez. However, the "Reds" have since learned that Ndukwe does not meet the criteria for a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) from the English Football Association. This endorsement is mandatory for non-British players to obtain a visa and play professionally in England.

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Ifeanyi Ndukwe gets no work permit.

The GBE is typically granted automatically to players with sufficient international caps or through a points system requiring 15 points. These points can be earned through national team appearances, significant playing time at their previous club in European competitions, or other criteria. Ndukwe has not yet played for Austria's senior national team, had limited playing time at Austria Wien (only one appearance in stoppage time), and did not feature in European competitions, playing instead for Austria II.

Consequently, Ndukwe will not play any minutes in England this season. Both Liverpool and Ndukwe's management are now focused on finding a club where he can be loaned out to gain maximum playing time, ruling out a return to his former club.

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He has no 15 points.