Ifeanyi Ndukwe is ready to explode, Liverpool should recall him in January

Ifeanyi Ndukwe is impressing on loan in Spain and Liverpool should be giving real thought to recalling him in the next transfer window.

Andoni Iraola is dealing with ongoing uncertainty around the future of his Liverpool backline in the early stages of his tenure at Anfield.

The Reds bolstered his centre-back options in the summer as Jeremy Jacquet arrived in a delayed move from Rennes and Ronald Araujo joined on loan from Barcelona.

Both players, as well as the injured Giovanni Leoni, are set for longer stays at the club, but Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are each out of contract in June next year.

Austrian centre-back starlet Ndukwe was signed in January and finalised his transfer after international clearance in the summer before joining Levante on loan.

New reports have claimed that he now officially qualifies for a UK work permit,and his strong form in La Liga should be turning heads on Merseyside ahead of January.

Ifeanyi Ndukwe is proving his worth with Levante ahead of potential Liverpool return

Ndukwe made waves with Austria Vienna's reserve side and featured once for their first team towards the end of last season.

His hotly-anticipated arrival on Merseyside over the summer was slightly let down by the fact he did not possess a work permit to be able to make his competitive debut for the club.

The 18-year-old impressed in numerous first-team friendlies under Iraola, though, before joining Levante towards the end of the window.

He scored his first professional goal against Sevilla on 12 October, and has emerged as a regular starter at the back for Levante over the last few weeks.

Ndukwe was key to their 3-1 win over Athletic Club on Wednesday, as he made the most defensive contributions (14) of any player on the pitch and had the second-best pass accuracy (93%, 27/29) of any starter.

He ranks highly among La Liga centre-backs for line-breaking passes (5.13), blocks (1.14), fouls committed (0.57), recoveries (4.56) and clearances (6.84) per 90 minutes so far, while he is yet to be dispossessed in 316 minutes of action.

Ndukwe is clearly a star in the making at just 18 years old, and now that he has earned the legal right to play football in England, the Reds should be seriously considering a January recall to Iraola's swuad.

Van Dijk has already sung the praises of Ndukwe

Ndukwe could emerge as Liverpool's long-term Van Dijk replacement, with the Dutch captain's future at the club still up in the air beyond next summer.

Van Dijk is well aware of what the teenager will bring to the Reds, as he praised him in August by saying: "Obviously I saw the games in pre-season in America. He's a big talent, big guy and he wants to learn and I had a brief conversation with him, especially in the last couple of days. For him it is just progressing. I know he has to go on loan I think so let's see where he ends up.

"I don't know exactly what the rules are, but the matter of fact is that he has to go on loan and wherever he goes, he needs to learn, get better and be ready when he comes back to hopefully stay there."

Ndukwe is certainly getting better in Spain and looks ready to make an impact at Anfield this season.