Liverpool's Ndukwe: 'I often went into the cage as a child too'

Liverpool's latest acquisition, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, has already made a preliminary visit to his new city, undertaking necessary medical tests and meeting the host family he will be staying with initially. The young talent, who gained recognition at the U17 World Cup, described the city as "very impressive" and Anfield Road stadium as "great."

Ndukwe's football journey began in Vienna, initially as a hobby driven by enjoyment rather than a serious career aspiration. He found football more engaging than basketball and, as a child, played without the foresight of a professional future. His early involvement was with WAF Brigittenau before he received an offer to join Austria Wien, a move his parents encouraged.

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I didn't have that much to do, I still had to do a few medical tests on site. And, I met the host family I will live with in Liverpool at first. We discussed quite a bit, including the rules that exist in this household. Otherwise, the city is very impressive. And the stadium Anfield Road is great.

"For me, it wasn't really an issue, but for my parents, it was back then," Ndukwe recalled. "Everyone told me it would be better if I switched to Austria Wien and played there. So I did."

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For me, it wasn't really an issue, but for my parents, it was back then. Everyone told me it would be better if I switched to Austria Wien and played there. So I did.

He also touched upon the common perception of agents approaching young talents. Ndukwe explained that he didn't have an agent until he was around 15 years old. Eventually, Georg Lederer from the agency "More than Sports" became his representative after Ndukwe's parents were contacted. They chose Lederer because he appeared more serious than other potential agents.

When asked about his choice to play as a defender, a position often less glamorous than scoring goals, Ndukwe expressed a different perspective. "Hey, you don't always have to have fun with scoring goals!" he laughed. "You can also have joy preventing them." He noted that he used to score many goals as a defender himself due to his size and strength, which also made him effective in defending.

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Hey, you don't always have to have fun with scoring goals! You can also have joy preventing them.