Ifeanyi Ndukwe has been tipped to become one of the best defenders in the world by his Levante manager, Luis Castro, following a rollercoaster full debut for the La Liga club.
The Liverpool loanee scored a 100th-minute equaliser for Levante as they recovered from both 2-0 down and falling behind in the 95th minute against Sevilla to earn a 3-3 draw.
The 18-year-old had been at fault for Sevilla's early opener, playing a short backpass to his goalkeeper, Mat Ryan, that enabled Robbie Ure to steal the ball and round the shot-stopper to score. But both Ndukwe and Levante bounced back to earn a share of the spoils in a thrilling game that witnessed three goals and a red card in second half stoppage-time alone.
Dramatic comeback in stoppage time
Felix Correia doubled Sevilla's lead shortly after the break, only for Ivan Romero to halve the deficit before the hour-mark. Adrian de la Fuente thought he had earned Levante a share of the spoils after he equalised in the 92nd minute, but Isaac Romero restored Sevilla's lead three minutes later with a stunning strike from distance.
However, the forward went from hero to villain seconds later as he was sent off after making a 'silence' gesture towards Levante supporters during his goal celebration, earning a second yellow card for his troubles. And Levante made their man-advantage pay in the 100th minute as Ndukwe marked his first La Liga start with the equalising goal after scoring the rebound for his on-loan club following a double-save from Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Manager's praise and prediction
Castro was full of praise for Ndukwe following the final whistle as he paid tribute for how the Liverpool loanee had not allowed his early error to affect him, before making a big prediction about the Austrian's future.
"First, a player of his age who makes a mistake and continues playing with the personality he showed, keeping the ball, attacking without any fear, it shows you what he can become one day," the Levante boss said at his post-match press conference. "He is not the first and… I would like him to be the last but he is not going to be the last player who will make a mistake that costs you a goal against."
"Some are more visible than others but he hasn't been the first, nor will he be the last. The goal I think is good for him because mentally it gives him a little more stability. But he is not a player who, after the error… a player with a weak mentality doesn't play the game he played, the duels he won, how he defended, how he attacked, how he went forward."
"He is a player who has great potential I think. If he has a normal development, he can be one of the best in the world in his position."
Loan situation and league impact
The Austrian joined Levante on loan after failing to qualify for a work permit to play for Liverpool. However, he has since gained the necessary points to become eligible after his debut outing for Levante last month immediately elevated him to the threshold required. In any case, the Reds will have an exemption spot available from February onwards that would allow Ndukwe to play, and also have the option to recall the player in January from his spell at Levante should it be deemed appropriate.
Ndukwe's equaliser helped keep Levante out of the relegation zone, with the point keeping them 17th above Elche on goal difference alone. Meanwhile, they are a point ahead of fellow Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott, who came off the bench to help Valencia earn a 2-2 draw against Racing Santander.
While the playmaker is yet to start for the La Liga club amid a challenging start in Spain, he earned the praise of his new manager, Javier Aguirre, following the final whistle. "I saw him [Hugo Duro], Dani Raba, and Elliott looking very good since I arrived," he said. "I saw those three looking very good and thought, 'Heck, they aren't playing?' Seeing their numbers, they hadn't been playing, so I said they have to play, they have to play."
Elliott has made four substitute appearances for Valencia to date following a difficult season on loan at Aston Villa last year, with such a total already equalling his number of Premier League appearances at Villa Park. Looking to reignite his career at Valencia, Aguirre's comments will be music to the Liverpool loanee's ears.
