adminForget Jurgen Klopp, Jordon Ibe says Derby County hero is the ‘best’ manager he’s ever had
It’s been over 10 years since Jordon Ibe departed Derby County for the first time, a decision that unfortunately took on a huge butterfly effect for the winger who had been incredible on loan.
The former Wycombe Wanderers youngster had joined the Rams on loan from Liverpool at the start of the 2014/15 campaign, as Steve McClaren’s side looked to recover from one of the great play-off moments back in May, with Bobby Zamora leading QPR to the Premier League.
They started the new season strongly, and supporters bought straight back into McClaren’s exciting style of play which saw the East Midlands outfit consistently outscore teams as they looked for their return to the top flight – having last played there in the record-breaking 2007/08 season.
Derby’s decision to sign Ibe paid off, but there will always be some regret at how his time at Pride Park ended. Now, the winger has reflected on his time in black-and-white.
Jordon Ibe looks back on his time at Derby County
Ibe joined the Rams at the end of August 2014 on a season-long loan from Liverpool and he hit the ground running, scoring in just his third Championship appearance as his team drew 2-2 with Cardiff City.
The then teenager was a star at Pride Park, and his pace on the right wing allowed him to make inroads down the flank before crossing the ball into Chris Martin, while he was able to cut in onto his preferred foot and shoot when playing on the left.
However, his loan spell was cut short as he returned to his parent club. Nevertheless, Ibe has praised his former manager, McClaren, for the impact that he had on his career. He said (via: The Guardian): “I felt like I was at Real Madrid at Derby.
“I was gutted when I left – he’s the best I had. He gave me freedom to play. I was just happy with him. A lot of Derby fans have said if I’d stayed … well, I just loved it there.”
Jordon Ibe showed potential at Liverpool, but Jurgen Klopp was not so sure
After excelling in the Championship, Brendan Rodgers was keen to see how his teenage sensation could cope in the Premier League. Despite a bright start, he quickly found himself down the pecking order after Jurgen Klopp sunk his teeth into Liverpool.
He showed a huge amount of promise under the German, but the Reds were looking in a different direction and he was sold to Bournemouth in the summer of 2016 – despite making 27 appearances for the current Premier League champions the season prior.
As per BBC Sport, Ibe made the switch to the south coast for £15m and after a tough first year with the Cherries, he started to prove his worth. But he soon fell out of favour, and eventually became a free agent.
Derby had not had much luck with new signings throughout the 2010s and this continued when Ibe re-joined. The winger was never the same player and he has since spent time in non-league as he focused on life away from the pitch.
At 29, there is still plenty of time left in his footballing career, something that he wants to delve back into. But Rams fans will still wonder what if he had never been recalled in January 2015?
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