Virgil van Dijk has heaped praise on the ‘special’ Rio Ngumoha after the 17-year-old started for Liverpool in their FA Cup win over Wolves on Friday evening.
After a drab start to the clash, Andy Robertson played a key role in the Reds securing a 3-1 win in the fifth round.
However, it is Ngumoha who stole the headlines post-match, with Van Dijk urging him to ‘keep learning’ and ‘keep soaking it all up’.
Who was YOUR Man of the Match in Liverpool’s win over Wolves? 😁
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Dominik Szoboszlai and Andrew Robertson during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Virgil van Dijk says Rio Ngumoha needs to keep learning after Liverpool beat Wolves
Just minutes after the full-time whistle, Van Dijk was interviewed live on the pitch by TNT Sports.
The Liverpool skipper was asked for his thoughts on Ngumoha’s display, calling the winger ‘outstanding’.
He said: “Rio was outstanding, made life difficult to their right-wing-back, right-centre-back as well.
“Very pleased, we all see what a special talent he is in terms of 1v1s, the pace, the way he drives at players, he’s working hard, he’s a good boy.
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“We are looking after him, we speak to him constantly, he needs to keep learning, keep soaking it all up. Today was a good day for him.”
Discuss: Arne Slot will NOT start Rio Ngumoha against Tottenham… ❌
Arne Slot and Rio Ngumoha during Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round
Credit: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images
Rio Ngumoha stats for Liverpool vs Wolves
For several weeks now, there have been calls for Ngumoha to start more matches at Liverpool under Slot.
Every time he has come on, the teenager has looked sharp and on Friday evening, he was once again one of the Reds’ best performers.
Ngumoha may not have scored a goal, but he caused a lot of problems for Wolves’ backline across his time on the pitch.
He managed one key pass, a passing accuracy of 91% (30 out of 33 completed), managed three successful dribbles out of four, had a total of seven progressive carries and four shots at goal.
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