Got the lot this kid. Love him breaking from centre mid which is where he'll end up playing me thinks. As good as Oxy-Chamb same age. Deffo one for the future
It'll be fascinating seeing which position he ends up in. I think he could have a pretty good stab on either flank, up front, at number 10 or deeper if Rogers felt so inclined. Every inch an english Lucas Moura for me. That may well be a more accurate comparison than any of us wish as, like Moura, there is no guarantee that he will ever work out how to fully utilise his gifts in a consistent (or effective manner). Fuck me he's fun to watch though.
With regards comparisons with Sterling I think Juan pretty much has it nailed.
Ibe is probably the most 'naturally' gifted youngster I can remember seeing in the flesh. Not to say there haven't been or aren't better around, simply that I haven't seen them in person. Pace and power, yes, but it's his technical ability on the ball that really sets him apart. The ability to run at that speed for any length he fancies whilst keeping the ball at genuinely close quarters and entirely under control is just freakish. It's a well worn cliché but he really will have the beating of virtually every player he comes up against by the time he is 20/21. He also has a very decent pass in his locker on the odd occasion when he realises that is also allowed within the laws of football.
His ceiling is stratospheric.
Sterling probably has 90%+ of that in his locker (and much more in the head).
Difference is Sterling (Injuries etc permitting) will reach his ceiling and perform at that level consistently. That much was largely clear at 17. With Ibe, god only knows where he'll peak or if he'll ever find sufficient consistency for it to be worth a dime.
Also worth remembering that whilst he is a year younger than Sterling he arrived almost two years later and was attached to Wycombe ,as opposed to somewhere useful for his development in that time. No great surprise the club haven't fast tracked him through at quite the rate they did Raheem wherever they think his 'ceiling' lies.