Liverpool have a number of talented youngsters in and around the first team, including Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha.
With Liverpool having had such a depleted squad for much of this season, you might think that Arne Slot would be giving such players a lot of regular minutes.
However, the reality has been very different, with fans asking why Ngumoha isn’t playing more.
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Trey Nyoni in action during Liverpool's pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao at Anfield. Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool celebrates at full-time following the team's victory in the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park
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In the 2025/26 Premier League season, the left winger has been afforded just 76 minutes of football across eight appearances.
It’s a similar story for Nyoni, who has played a grand total of two minutes in two league matches this term.
But why, even with so many positions lacking depth right now, are these players, and others, not being featured more?
Why Arne Slot isn’t playing Liverpool youngsters
Well, James Pearce has now provided an explanation when discussing the Liverpool Academy while appearing on the Walk On podcast.
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Sharing the ‘brutal reality’ of the situation, he said: “It’s quite a young under-19s team, that team, and there’s some really highly rated kids, but the issue is they’re 14, 15.
“When I speak to staff at the academy, it’s not like there’s no one coming through, it’s just that they’re not 17, 18, 19, they’re a bit younger, and that’s just where they’re at.
“So I do have some sympathy for Slot when people say, he’s not playing the kids, because the brutal reality is, there just isn’t that depth of talent there.”
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What Arne Slot has said about playing Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha
Ngumoha is currently competing with Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo for a starting berth off the left.
Wirtz is impressing, but he can also play as 10 in the middle, while Gakpo continues to frustrate fans, who would no doubt like to see the teenager featuring ahead of the Dutchman on a more regular basis.
Similarly, there is a dearth of midfield options for Nyoni to be competing with right now, especially when one of Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones are needed to cover at right-back.
Yet as mentioned, neither player has been afforded any meaningful minutes in the Premier League.
The duo did recently come off the bench in the 6-0 win over Qarabag, with Slot commenting on Nyoni and Ngimoha’s minutes post-match.
He said: “I think Trey showed when he came in that he comes closer and closer to a situation where I can also bring him in.
“He’s developed really nicely in the last year, he gets closer and closer to coming in in moments that matter even more.
“And that is how things work with young players, you just make step after step after step until the manager trusts you enough to play you in difficult moments.
“That has already happened for Rio and Trey is really close to that moment.”
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