Liverpool could switch Rio Ngumoha over to the right wing at times this season, and it could really help one of his teammates, who faces a big 12 months under Andoni Iraola
Rio Ngumoha during Liverpool vs AS Monaco.
Rio Ngumoha during Liverpool vs AS Monaco.(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola still needs a couple more players to add to his Liverpool roster before the September 1 transfer deadline, but that work is being done by his sporting director, Richard Hughes.
The Spaniard's chief task is on the training field, instilling his new group with the methods that he wants to use. Iraola has a specific approach in terms of pressing and intensity, and that was a primary reason for making the change and firing Arne Slot.
Last year, of the Liverpool regulars, perhaps only Dominik Szoboszlai could come out of the season believing that it went well on an individual basis. And while that led to Slot's departure, it also means there is plenty of room for improvement among the current crop.
Under Iraola, it would be fair to assume that players including Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will be hoping for a dramatic improvement in their performance levels.
Others like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, now with 12 months of experience under their belt at Anfield, have the potential to get a lot better too, while Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni's roles should increase.
In the case of Ngumoha, while it was often leveled at Slot that he didn't use the teenager enough, the explanation for that was more than reasonable.
At the age of 17, Ngumoha could not be given the task of carrying a struggling Liverpool team. More than that, for the sake of his longevity and sustainability, playing too much too soon would not be helpful.
Rio Ngumoha during the friendly game between Liverpool and Leeds in Chicago.
Rio Ngumoha during the friendly game between Liverpool and Leeds in Chicago.(Image: Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Under Iraola — just as it would have under Slot — Ngumoha will play more minutes this season, injury permitting, than he did during the last. And his ability to play on both flanks is a major advantage.
Iraola spoke earlier in the summer about liking wide players who can play on both sides. That way, he explained, the player gives themselves twice as many opportunities to get onto the field.
For England, ahead of the World Cup, Ngumoha played on the right-hand side, and he looks set to line up there this weekend when Liverpool travels to Newcastle.
Without a designated right winger in the team aside from Federico Chiesa, Iraola used Ngumoha on that side — and Gakpo on the left — during the final friendly, and that is likely to continue.
Ngumoha, it would be fair to say, is more of a natural on the left. From there, he can chop inside and get shots away. On the right, though, he is more than capable.
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There is an argument, too, that playing him there, where he tends to drift inside towards goal, can help bring more out of Jeremie Frimpong.
Of course, there will be times when Ngumoha goes on the outside, but the early evidence has seen him drifting into the middle from a starting wide berth.
On those occasions, Frimpong can fly around the outside, as he did so well when he was at Bayer Leverkusen. He impressed by doing just that last time out against Como, and while he hasn't done it often enough in a Liverpool jersey yet, he is more than capable.
With Conor Bradley still sidelined, Frimpong will need to maintain that level for a good while yet. Likewise, with few other right-sided options, Ngumoha could find himself playing down that side a fair bit.
If Ngumoha and Frimpong are to be the right side of the Liverpool team for the first few weeks of the season as a minimum, they will need to continue building on some promising signs.