Liverpool are being advised to give more game time to teenage wonderkid Rio Ngumoha, with the 17-year-old enjoying a lively cameo off the bench against Forest as misfiring Salah and Cody Gakpo were replaced.
Allardyce added: “It’s great to be able to come on as a sub. You can have him [Ngumoha] on from the start when everybody is up and at it and fresh, but if you bring him on with 20 minutes to go when the level and tempo is going down and there’s that bit more space, then he can flourish.
“I would leave Ngumoha on the bench for the moment, but Slot can bring him on sooner now. It’s easier to build his confidence that way than to put him in from the start which may not work. That said, the starters who aren’t playing very well will be looking over their shoulder, knowing they’ve got to raise their game or else he’ll take their place.”
Reds legend Jamie Carragher is another to have suggested that Ngumoha should be given minutes ahead of more experienced colleagues. He told Sky Sports after witnessing a laboured performance at the City Ground: “Ngumoha did more in 15 minutes than Salah and Gakpo did before that. He changed the game and needs to be starting games.
“I think at some stage, Rio Ngumoha has got to come into the team, or he may have to go with another midfield player or lose a Gakpo or a Salah. I think Liverpool’s penetration and pace in the wide areas is really lacking.”