At only 17, Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha already carries himself with the composure of someone far more experienced, and his performance against Nottingham Forest only added to the growing excitement around him.
Ngumoha replaced Mohamed Salah with 13 minutes remaining and immediately injected energy into the game, even playing a part in Alexis Mac Allister’s disallowed goal, before the Reds eventually went on to win.
More minutes are exactly what the teenager wants. Despite being included in almost every matchday squad this season, he has accumulated just 89 Premier League minutes so far, and he is determined to make every appearance count.
“Yeah, I know I need to at least do something to try to impact the game, whether that’s on the ball or off the ball,” Ngumoha said.
“That can be putting in a tackle, pressing to win the ball back, putting balls in the box, having shots on target or just beating my man.
“I just think every single time I’m called on for the team, I want to show everyone what I can do really.”
Back in August he scored a dramatic 100th-minute winner away at Newcastle, becoming Liverpool’s youngest goalscorer, and many expected his involvement to grow rapidly.
Instead, manager Arne Slot has been cautious with his development. Since arriving from Chelsea in 2024, Ngumoha has largely started cup competitions while continuing to play regularly at academy level.
Liverpool opted not to sign another wide forward following Luis Diaz’s departure to Bayern Munich, choosing instead to create a pathway into the first team for Ngumoha.
With Cody Gakpo struggling for form and Salah enduring a nine-game league goal drought, the argument for a bigger role is strengthening.
“Hopefully soon, just keep pushing and gaining the manager’s trust and hopefully that leads to more minutes,” Ngumoha said.
“I feel like if you are not playing as much then you can stagnate, so I want to gain more minutes – whether that is Under-18s or 21s,” he explained. “I am still so young, so I am available to play, so any games I can play, I will.”
Inside the club there is little doubt about his talent, but Liverpool are carefully managing his workload. Extra recovery days are built into his schedule and there is a focus on improving his physicality, defensive awareness and understanding of the game off the ball before making him a regular Premier League starter.
Ngumoha credits Slot’s guidance as key to his development. “The manager is very important to me and he helps me a lot,” he said. “We might have a meeting after training and he tells me how well I am doing, to keep going, showing me clips. All of that is important and helpful.
“I think it has gone really well. I am learning a lot every day playing and training with some of the best players in the world. I can’t ask for much more as a young kid. So I just think I need to carry on proving, working hard in training and showing what I can do to the manager.”
