Rio Ngumoha has been grabbing plenty of headlines during pre-season with the Liverpool teenager looking like the real deal.
Liverpool have a good track record when it comes to developing their youngsters and Ngumoha is arguably their most exciting prospect right now.
Having impressed during pre-season so far, we’ve gathered the thoughts of several Liverpool experts on the 16-year-old wonderkid.
Arne Slot
Slot handed Ngumoha his senior debut last season against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup.
Aged 16 years and 135 days at the time, he became the youngest Liverpool player to ever feature in the competition.
After making his senior breakthrough, Slot said: “He’s been with us now for half a season. Every time he trains with us, we see his qualities.
“He can dominate one-on-one situations, he is very quick on his feet, and he can change direction really fast.”
The youngster has continued to impress since then, particularly against Preston North End and Yokohama FM in pre-season.
“It’s always nice to see young players from 16, 17 or 18 years old already impacting a game,” Slot said following Liverpool’s game against Yokohama FM.
“There was also a moment in the game where he should have squared it to Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) or Curtis. So, (there were) also learning parts for him.
“If you are 16 and you can impact the game like he did, that’s definitely worth a compliment.”
Wataru Endo
After making his senior debut last season, Endo was full of praise for Ngumoha.
“I think he played very well – especially in the first half,” Endo told reporters following Liverpool’s 4-0 victory against Accrington Stanley.
“His dribbling is amazing. My son is 11 years old, so there’s only a five-year difference, so I can’t believe I play with him.
“He also said it is just the beginning so he needs to keep working hard. He trains like that so I’m not surprised he played like that.”
Harvey Elliott
Elliott certainly knows what it’s like to break through at a young age, having made his senior debut for Fulham at the age of 15.
After an impressive showing against AC Milan, he praised Ngumoha for his fearless attitude.
“He’s fearless. He showed that today against AC Milan, one of Europe’s big teams. He was like a kid in the park, although he is a kid!” Elliott told LFCTV.
“He just needs to keep going, and we’ll try as much as we can to try and help him out. I think if he keeps on performing as he is and working hard as he is, then the kid has got an amazing future.
“I’m really excited to see where things go, and hopefully he can be really successful.
“There are not many 16 or 17-year-olds (in the team), and he is in because he is incredible at his age and he is able to handle it. We can all see his quality, and he just needs to keep working hard and keep going.
“In the upcoming years, hopefully, he can show the world, and especially everyone at Liverpool, why he is so highly rated.”
Andy Robertson
“He’s a good kid and he’s got a fantastic head on his shoulders, especially when he’s got people like Mo Salah who can help him so much as well,” Robertson told The Anfield Wrap.
“We always try to help him and Trey (Nyoni). They’re so young but they’re such good kids and they’ve got a hell of a future ahead of themselves.
“You can just see them coming on every time and the more they train and play with us, the more they just get better and better. Obviously that’s the last two games I’ve played now with Rio in front of me and he just keeps on coming on.
“He’s got a hell of a future ahead of him but the here-and-now looks pretty good as well.”
John Terry
For those who don’t know, Ngumoha started his football career with Chelsea and was picked up by their academy in 2016.
He spent eight years playing in the Chelsea academy before making the switch to Liverpool last summer.
After Fabrizio Romano broke the news about the move, Terry took to social media and said, “This boy is and will be a top player.”
One year down the line and it’s safe to say that Terry’s quote has aged gloriously.
Chelsea insider
An anonymous Chelsea insider spoke with The Athletic in 2024 to discuss Ngumoha and his potential.
“The coaches loved working with Rio because he’s a great kid, but also because he would take on board what they were saying. There had been times when he was trying to do it all by himself.”
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson
Upon making the switch to Liverpool last summer, Bridge-Wilkinson, Liverpool’s U18s coach, oversaw his development.
“He is here because he’s got potential to go and reach the first team, but besides that, there’s no pressure from us,” Bridge-Wilkinson said last year.
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