Liverpool fans are hoping to see a new centre-back partnership blossom this season, with high hopes that Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni can develop together into an impenetrable pairing.
However, after Jacquet was ruled out of Saturday’s pre-season win over Sunderland with an unspecified injury, and Leoni continues to recover from his long-term knee issue, Reds supporters were treated to an even younger twosome in Nashville.
Mor Talla Ndiaye started alongside Joe Gomez, but after the stand-in Liverpool captain went off inside 10 minutes, fellow 18-year-old Ifeanyi Ndukwe came on to play the rest of the game.
Who would be your choice of centre-back signing for Liverpool this summer?
The Reds clearly need to do something after fresh injuries to Jacquet and Gomez
With Gomez seemingly set for a spell out, Leoni not yet ready, Jacquet out for the next game and Virgil van Dijk still on holiday, Andoni Iraola is going to need Ndiaye and Ndukwe over the coming weeks and, unless Liverpool do something in the transfer market, during the season as well.
But which of the two teenagers looked more ready to make the step up and take his place at No. 5 in the Reds’ centre-back stakes?
Ndiaye dominates the duels
The first thing to notice about these two youngsters is that they are both massive. At 18, they could yet get even bigger, which is a scary thought for Ndukwe, who already stands at a reported 6 feet 6 inches, and looks every bit of it.
At 6 feet 4 inches, Ndiaye is not short either, but while he is the smaller of the two, it was the Senegal U17 star who dominated in the air on Saturday.
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Impressively, Ndiaye won each of his two aerial duels against Sunderland, also managing to come out on top in three out of four contested ground duels.
Committed and front-footed, though slightly loose on the ball at times, Ndiaye looks like a defender who likes defending, and that can count for a lot.
Ndukwe stars with the ball at his feet
While Ndiaye was winning his battles, Ndukwe was less impressive on that side of things. Despite his size, the former Austria Vienna man won only one of four aerial duels, and came out on top of only one in three on the ground.
Nevertheless, it was with the ball at his feet where Ndukwe did his best work, and it is clear that this is his real standout quality.
No player came anywhere close to the 73 passes he attempted against the Black Cats, of which an impressive 71 found their intended targets.
Ndukwe was similarly efficient when passing the ball longer, trying – and completing – 10 long passes during the match. Ndiaye was no slouch either here, registering a pass accuracy rate of 88% (59 out of 67), and a long-ball success rate of 50% (five out of 10), but this is obviously Ndukwe’s area.
The verdict: Ndiaye just edges it… for now
On paper, you can see what Liverpool’s plan here is, and how these two youngsters can complement each other as centre-backs.
Ndiaye is more of a tackler and ball-winner, while Ndukwe brings a little bit more flair with the ball at his feet. Both big, strong and seemingly fairly quick, they look like a partnership who could play men’s football already.
If we had to pick one, though, we would probably say that Ndiaye just about edged it on Saturday’s showing. There were one or two loose moments in possession, but otherwise he slotted in and led the defence very well.
Who impressed you for Liverpool against Sunderland, and what does it mean for the Reds under Andoni Iraola?
There were some eye-catching performances in Nashville…
Ndukwe potentially has the higher ceiling, but he was caught sitting too deep for Sunderland’s second goal of the day, and there are some bits and pieces in his game which need refining.
Given Ndiaye has been at the club for half-a-year longer than Ndukwe, perhaps that is just the little bit of extra edge he has over him at the moment.
Fans are right to be concerned at having to potentially rely on two kids in such an important part of the pitch, and that is a massive worry heading into the final month of the transfer window. But if Liverpool do choose to rely on Ndukwe and Ndiaye, they may have some worrying moments, but they also may generally be just fine.
There’s certainly much more to come from both, and Ndiaye should be just ahead at the moment, but Liverpool have two depth options who they should not be afraid to use.
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