Liverpool's new manager has handed promising Austrian teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe meaningful minutes in pre-season after injuries depleted the central defence, and his performances—including a composed display alongside Virgil van Dijk against Monaco—suggest readiness for competitive football. However, post-Brexit immigration rules prevent him from playing in Premier League or cup matches because he failed to accumulate sufficient points for a standard UK work permit.

The UK's revised system offers an alternative through Elite Significant Contribution slots reserved for players who do not qualify through standard assessment, but availability depends on clubs' allocation of playing time to English-qualified players in the previous season. Liverpool's relatively low figure in that metric entitles them to only one ESC slot, which has already been assigned to another young foreign player, leaving no pathway for Ndukwe to compete in official fixtures despite his on-pitch progress.