Ebbsfleet United manager Dennis Kutrieb believes former Liverpool and Bournemouth winger Jordon Ibe can get back to the Football League by enjoying his football again

Ebbsfleet boss Dennis Kutrieb believes Jordon Ibe should be playing in the Football League.

The 27-year-old, who once moved from Liverpool to Bournemouth for £15million, has joined the Fleet in a bid to resurrect his career.

He’s hardly played a competitive game in the past couple of seasons, suffering from injuries and openly talking about his battles with depression.

But Kutrieb is excited to have Ibe at Stonebridge Road, although he was an unused substitute in Saturday’s FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round draw at home to Slough.

“In an ideal world I’d try and give him some minutes but the game was too tight and too aggressive to just ‘gift’ him some minutes,” explained Kutrieb. “We will see what we do on Tuesday (in the replay) but we will see him soon.

“If he can be with us this season and make a massive impact then he won’t be here longer (than that).

“He should be somewhere else, he shouldn’t be in non-league. He should be in the League and up the pyramid as that’s where he has been almost his whole career.

“From that point of view, I’m not stupid and think he will stay here forever because he’s not at the end of his career. I think he’s at the middle of his career and we can help him get back on track and he can help us. He doesn’t need to be worried, his way is still open but that’s on him, not me.”

Kutrieb’s management style should work perfectly for Ibe, who joined Liverpool from Wycombe in 2012.

The German boss takes a keen approach in his players’ development on and off the pitch and is protective of his squad. He’s been impressed with Ibe so far.

“One part is the mental side obviously,” explained Kutrieb. “He played over 100 games in the Premier League so it’s a tough challenge to be in non-league as a young