Teenage star Rio Ngumoha will be eyeing a starting place in Arne Slot's first XI after impressing last weekend
Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha has impressed for the Reds when given the opportunity this season.
Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha has impressed for the Reds when given the opportunity this season.
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Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha will be targeting a starting berth against West Ham United this weekend. The 17-year-old has impressed when called on this season.
Ngumoha was the catalyst for Liverpool's victory against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The youngster has injected Liverpool with some much needed pace and trickery this season, most notably with his stunning last minute winner against Newcastle United earlier on in the campaign.
Rio Ngumoha responds to Slot
Ngumoha has given his first interview just days after Reds boss Slot claimed the winger was becoming "stronger" but needed a plethora of attributes to make it at the highest level of the game.
Speaking after his energetic cameo against Forest, Ngumoha insisted he was ready to knuckle down and give everything in his locker.
"I just try to help the team," he said. "It's all I can do. I just put balls into the box whenever the manager needs me. I just need to provide everything I can give and just keep going on.
"I think it has gone really well, you know. I am learning a lot every day and playing with 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. The manager is very important to me and he gives me a lot, I would say. After training, he always gives me the right things.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool applauds the Liverpool fans after the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park on August 25, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Daniel Chesterton/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Rio Ngumoha may only be 17 but he's making a big impression(Image: Getty Images)
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"We always have a meeting and he tells me how well I am doing and he just shows me certain clips of training. All of the staff here are very important and they are helpful."
Speaking on Ngumoha's ability, Slot said: "He gets stronger and stronger. Apart from his moment when he had his one-v-one, there were also one or two other moments where he stands his ground.
"That is what you need because you face 25, 26, 27, 28-year-old athletes mainly as your opponents because we are a bit of an exception in terms of our age group of players. Most teams have players of different ages and physicality. But as we all know, talent is only the start of his career, you need so many other things."
Three-man shortlist to replace Mo Salah
Mohamed Salah's Liverpool future has been the subject of heavy speculation recently. The Egyptian star signed a new contract last April but there are strong suggestions he could quit Anfield at the end of the season
Salah’s contract runs until the summer of 2027 and there continues to be speculation of a potential move to Saudi Arabia in the future.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal
Liverpool have been told to target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Image: 2025 James Gill - Danehouse)
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Former Reds striker Emile Heskey argued that the Reds should look at Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, West Ham's Jarrod Bowen and AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic should be considered as replacements for Salah.
“We’re talking about replacing Mohamed Salah and I think as fans you’ve got to look at something different because you can’t replace Mo Salah,” Heskey said in an interview with OLBG.
"I do like the lad from PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He would be my go-to. Would Jarrod Bowen be a downgrade from Mohamed Salah?
West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen celebrates after beating Spurs
West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen celebrates after beating Spurs
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"I think most players are a downgrade compared to Salah but to be honest with you Bowen is a different type of player and he would probably help the formation because he’s going to work a little bit harder than Mo.
“I actually quite like Christian Pulisic. He is very direct. He probably didn’t get as many goals as I would have liked him to get at Chelsea but I thought he gave defences problems. Obviously after a good World Cup, being at home with the pressure on him, he is definitely someone who could offer something different to Mohamed Salah or even Cody Gakpo right now.
“Mo left Chelsea to go to Italy and look at what he’s done for Liverpool. I think it’d be great to see someone like Pulisic come back into the Premier League in the same way."
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