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Few Liverpool fans lost much sleep when Raheem Sterling was sold to Manchester City last summer.

The £49million deal represented good business for the Reds and the unpalatable manner in which he had gone about trying to force through the move meant he had burned his bridges with supporters.

But another reason why no tears were shed was that both inside and outside the club there was a feeling that Liverpool already had the perfect replacement for him.

Jordon Ibe - exactly a year younger than Sterling - had shown glimpses of his exciting potential and was being tipped to fill the void created by his close friend’s departure.

Blessed with blistering pace, physically strong and with a bag of tricks up his sleeve, Ibe appeared to have all the attributes required to follow in the footsteps of Sterling, who scored 21 goals over his final two seasons with Liverpool.

So far it hasn’t happened. There have been flashes of brilliance from the winger but it hasn’t been sustained.

In the early stages of this season Ibe played like someone feeling that weight of expectation. He appeared strangely reluctant to take players on.

The lack of belief was far removed from the kind of fearless displays he served up following his return from a loan spell at Derby last January.

The appointment of Jurgen Klopp sparked a change in his fortunes. The German sat the youngster down and spelt out exactly what he expected from him.

Ibe created Liverpool’s third for Christian Benteke in the victory at Chelsea before opening his account with the winner against Rubin Kazan in the Europa League.

The direct, purposeful manner in which Ibe strode forward in Russia before firing home from the edge of the box showcased the positive shift in his mentality.

Ibe scored again in the 6-1 rout of Southampton in the League Cup and then came off the bench to grab the crucial away goal in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg triumph at Stoke.

But since then he hasn’t kicked on. That assist at Stamford Bridge remains his only one in the Premier League this season.

Ibe is younger than many of Liverpool's 'youngsters'

Tuesday’s FA Cup replay at West Ham summed up his season so far. At times he looked menacing as he cut inside off the flank but for long periods he was firmly on the periphery.

Klopp was repeatedly barking orders at him - trying to coax more from a player who remains a work in progress.

In truth no-one should be surprised. For all the hype, it should be remembered that Ibe only turned 20 in December.

He’s actually younger than Brad Smith, Kevin Stewart, Tiago Ilori and Joao Carlos Teixeira, who earned plenty of praise for their efforts at Upton Park.

Ibe is judged on a different level simply because he broke through at a much earlier age. Fans expect more.

If he features at Villa Park on Sunday, it will be Ibe’s 50th appearance for the Reds.

After 49 matches for Liverpool he has scored three times - the same tally as Sterling as that stage of his Reds career.

Sterling celebrated his half century in December 2013 by scoring in a rout of Norwich and kicked on impressively. The hope is that Ibe will do likewise.

He’s certainly in the best possible place to continue his development. Time on the training ground with Klopp will iron out those flaws.

Ibe remains raw and patience is required but there’s still good reason to believe he will hit the heights many predicted when Sterling’s exit put him firmly in the spotlight.