There were concerns that Jordon Ibe wouldn’t be afforded the game time that his continued development demands after he was recalled from a successful loan spell with Championship side Derby County, but with Lazar Markovic set to sit out Liverpool’s next four European matches, the youngster could be quite busy quite soon.
Markovic, who picked up a straight red card for a rather questionable foul against Behrang Safari during their Champions League meeting with FC Basel, was only expected to miss a match or two with the Anfield outfit parachuting into the Europa League, but UEFA have taken a hard line against the Serbian and have ruled him out the entirety of the Round of 32 and, should the Reds get past Turkish side Besiktas, the Round of 16 as well according to page-14 of the disciplinary list published by European football’s governing body.
Although the Reds have yet to be officially informed of the winger’s punishment, there’s little question that this will be the ruling handed down by UEFA — one that looks to be more than a bit harsh considering the paltry nature of the 20-year olds offence. Since appeals are only able to made in the case of mistaken identity, Liverpool have no recourse to pursue a reduction in the Serbian’s sentence.
Where one door closes, another is opened and this looks to be the perfect opportunity for Ibe to step in and prove that Reds boss Brendan Rodgers was right to give him a chance with the senior team. The 19-year old has shown some serious promise since returning from his loan with the Rams as his performance against Everton at Goodison Park will attest to. If he’s given a shot when Besiktas visit Anfield for the first leg of their Round of 32 tie on Thursday, it could go a long way towards establishing himself as one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League.
