Teenage Striker Ibe Wants to Score More Goals For Liverpool.

Jordon Ibe and Brendan Rodgers.
Jordon Ibe and Brendan Rodgers.

Nigerian-born forward Jordon Ibe stressed his capacity as a reliable goal scorer with a low strike from the edge of the penalty area in Liverpool 4-0 win at Preston on Saturday.

The match was the Reds’ first pre-season friendly of the summer and just Ibe’s second appearance since making his first team debut in the final match of the 2012/13 campaign at home to QPR.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers decided to give the 17-year-old a starting role in the game, the player’s impact earned him the second goal of the encounter in the 37th minute. He believes he can become part of Liverpool’s first team squad.

“I’m just learning from the first-team players and trying to show that until the season starts. Hopefully I can do well,” he said.

Ibe signed from Wycombe in December 2011for an undisclosed fee. He has represented England at U-18 level, eligible to play for Nigeria at senior international level.

After scoring on Saturday, he covered his face in a rather unconventional celebration and he later told LFC TV: “I was waiting for the ball to cross the line; I didn’t have a celebration so I just put my hands in front of my face.

“I was so relieved and I looked at Brendan. I’ve always wanted to score in an important match, especially playing with the first team, so once that went over the line I felt so happy.

“It felt really good, especially scoring and playing with the first team. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Next up for the striker will be Jakarta, Melbourne and Bangkok as Liverpool covers some more distance in their pre-season tour in the coming weeks.