Those Liverpool supporters hoping that the FA Cup would allow them a glimpse of some of their biggest young talents were left a little disappointed on Saturday evening.
With Brighton representing Premier League opposition, Arne Slot waited until the 77th minute to introduce Rio Ngumoha.
Trey Nyoni got even less time on the pitch, featuring for only the dying minutes of injury time, with Calvin Ramsay also appearing at the same time.
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Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates in front of the Kop after scoring in Liverpool's FA Cup fourth round match against Brighton at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Charlotte Wilson/Offside).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Charlotte Wilson/Offside
Having barely played on the Saturday, Ngumoha, Nyoni and Ramsay were selected to play for the Liverpool U21s in their Sunday fixture against West Brom.
Accustomed to training at a much higher level than their teammates, Ngumoha and Nyoni both got on the scoresheet, with fellow youngster Kieran Morrison – who was an unused substitute at Anfield on Saturday – scoring the winner in a 4-3 victory. After selecting Ngumoha, Nyoni and Morrison to be in two matchday squads in the past week, Slot was given neat confirmation that this trio are now ready to leave the Liverpool academy behind.
Ngumoha, Nyoni and Morrison are too good for the U21s
It will have been a pleasing marker of the development of all three of these players for Slot that they were three of Liverpool’s scorers on Sunday, with Nyoni also claiming an assist.
Along with Ngumoha, the former Leicester prospect has not been playing regularly for the U21s this season, but for them both to step in and immediately score a goal each validates their continued involvement with the first-team.
Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni walk out for a Liverpool training session at the AXA Training Centre
Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
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Ngumoha’s goal in particular was brilliant. The 17-year-old was unlucky to see an excellent finish incorrectly chalked off for offside on Saturday, but he was not to be denied again. Cutting in from the left, Ngumoha launched a terrific bending effort into the far corner.
Nyoni’s assist for Will Wright was also extremely special, the 18-year-old hitting a superb first-time through ball for Wright to latch onto and score.
As for Morrison, he bagged what proved to be the winner with a composed touch and finish from a Wright pull-back. The winger has been in scintillating form recently, and after being named on the bench against Sunderland and Brighton, he once again underlined why that is the level he belongs at.
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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
Credit: George Wood/Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images
Arne Slot must consider young trio as part of the first-team
Slot has clearly marked Ngumoha and Nyoni out as being the two biggest talents at Liverpool. But he should now include Morrison in that bracket as well.
The 19-year-old won the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for a reason in January, and he is now starting to accelerate away from his peers in the same age group.
As for Ngumoha and Nyoni, they have been given opportunities by Slot, but these should now be stepped up.
Games such as Sunday’s U21 fixture are good to get minutes into the legs, but the duo are a cut above and will only get better by being exposed to as much men’s football as possible. The same goes for Morrison who could inject a bit of X-factor into the Liverpool squad for the remainder of the season.
Whether they are given game time now or not, the summer looks set to be a pivotal one for this talented trio. Too good for the academy, but perhaps not ready for Liverpool? With bigger stars away at the World Cup, they’ll never get a better chance to secure a permanent spot in the first-team.
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