With Liverpool almost certain to be without a number of key contributors over the next couple of weeks, it’s nice to have some good news thrown into the mix with youngster Jordon Ibe confirming that he’s nearing a first team return after overcoming a knee injury.
The 19-year old, who was recalled in January from his successful loan spell at Derby County, has looked every bit as promising as we remembered since hooking back up with the Reds. There were fears that the jump back to the Premier League would be a bit too much for him to handle, but his his direct running and fearlessness in possession has more than assuaged any early doubts. His rapid progress was held up when he picked up a knock as the Anfield outfit exited the Europa League at the hands of Besiktas, but with everything left to play for and a tricky run in ahead, Ibe is excited to get back in the mix.
“I’m enjoying it and hopefully I can push on now, keep doing the gym sessions and hopefully get back into training soon and play again. I was a bit nervous coming back because I hadn’t been out on the grass for four weeks, but everything is going well,” he told the official site. “It was the ligament on the side of my knee and they said I could be out for six to eight weeks, but everything has gone smoothly from here and hopefully I can crack on now and get back in action. Things happen for a reason so hopefully I can just learn from this, build up the strength in my knee and come back stronger and hopefully be even better.”
While it may have been a bit hard for Ibe to force himself back into the first team picture so fast after returning from injury, he could be thrust into the thick of things right away with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana set for spells on the sidelines after picking up knocks in the loss to Manchester United last weekend, there’s a good possibility that the 19-year old won’t have to wait too long to run out in the big leagues again.
