Despite a dire preseason campaign so far under manager Andoni Iraola, Liverpool have found a silver lining in Ndukwe who is perhaps one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe at the moment.
The 18-year-old Austrian centre-back stands at 6ft 6in, taller than Van Dijk who has towered above countless players in the Premier League during his several years with Liverpool.
However, the devastating news is that the teenage talent cannot feature in the Premier League or cup competitions after missing out on reaching the points target to qualify for a UK work permit.
This means the teenager will have to go out on loan and won’t be eligible for a UK work permit until at least January.
Van Dijk sad to see Ndukwe leave
When asked about the defender who the club are seeking to send out temporarily, Van Dijk praised Ndukwe who he says has a bright future as long as he is willing to learn.
"Obviously I saw the games in pre-season in America," Van Dijk said. "He's a big talent, big guy and he wants to learn and I had a brief conversation with him, especially in the last couple of days.
"For him it is just progressing. I know he has to go on loan I think so let's see where he ends up. Yeah (it's a shame he has to move on loan).
"I don't know exactly what the rules are but the matter of fact is that he has to go on loan and wherever he goes, he needs to learn, get better and be ready when he comes back to hopefully stay there.”
Several top international clubs have already expressed concrete interest in a loan for the youngster according to Ndukwe’s agent Georg Lederer who, alongside Iraola, will have a bright future planned for the teenager.