Ex-Derby County, Birmingham City and Liverpool player Jordon Ibe makes shock return | OneFootball

Jordon Ibe made his debut for Lokomotiv Sofia on Sunday. He previously played for Derby County, Birmingham City, and Liverpool.

Derby County, Liverpool, and Birmingham City supporters will all be surprised by Jordon Ibe's latest exploits.

The former England Under-21 international represented Liverpool from 2012 to 2016 before joining fellow Premier League outfit Bournemouth.

Ibe had loan spells with Wycombe Wanderers, Derby, and Birmingham while he was a Reds youngster, and returned to the Rams in 2020, making just one appearance in his second County stint.

The winger's top-level career was seemingly over, as he had recently played in non-league for Ebbsfleet United, Hayes and Yeading United, Hungerford Town, and Sittingbourne.

Ex-Derby County, Birmingham City, and Liverpool star Jordon Ibe makes top-flight football return

Ibe had not featured in a top-flight league since making two appearances for Bournemouth in the Premier League during the 2019/20 season.

His last Premier League goal, meanwhile, arrived in the 2018/19 campaign.

Ibe is now back in the top-flight game, having made his first outing for Bulgarian outfit Lokomotiv Sofia on Sunday, but it was far from a dream debut for the 30-year-old.

The former Derby man was yellow-carded and substituted off after just 39 minutes, and his new club were beaten 4-3 by Levski Sofia, leaving them 10th in the table.

The ex-Liverpool man spent just 17 days with non-league side Sittingbourne before moving to Bulgaria, and played for the 26ers in the Baller League last year.

He will hope to make a better account of himself when Lokomotiv Sofia play fellow bottom-half side Dobrudzha Dobrich in their next league game on Thursday.

Ibe's team then take on CSKA Sofia, Slavia Sofia, and CSKA 1948 before the end of the month.

Jordon Ibe never delivered the 'potential' Steve McClaren saw in him

Ibe showed plenty of promise in his early days, playing for Liverpool in the Premier League and representing England in youth international games.

However, at the age of 30, he is now playing in one of Europe's more niche leagues, whereas he had the potential to perform in a major division.

When Derby signed Ibe on loan from the Merseyside giants, then Rams boss Steve McClaren told BBC Sport: "He is a direct player with plenty of ability, and he will certainly strengthen the attacking options.

"We're delighted that Liverpool have again chosen to loan us one of their promising young players. Jordon is someone who we've been aware of for quite a while and have been impressed whenever we've seen him in action. "

"He has a lot of potential, and we believe that we can help his career development."