Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha is facing a nervous wait to see if he will be included in the final England squad for the upcoming international break.
Rio Ngumoha poses during the official UEFA Champions League 2026/27 portrait session
Rio Ngumoha could be handed an England call-up(Image: (Photo by Karl Bridgeman - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images))
Rio Ngumoha has been handed a potential opportunity to be part of the England international squad this month, as the Liverpool star faces a nervous wait for the final verdict.
BBC Sport reports that the winger has been included in a provisional long-list provided by Thomas Tuchel ahead of the announcement of his final squad, which will be looking ahead to some huge clashes.
The 18-year-old has yet to be included in a full England squad, having featured in most of the youth groups from under-15s to under-19s, but Tuchel has already seen first-hand what the youngster is capable of.
Ngumoha was a surprise inclusion in a pre-World Cup warm-up squad, added to the team to help bolster the numbers before some players returned from their break between the season ending and the tournament starting.
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There was a debut for the Liverpool ace in a warm-up match with New Zealand, where he impressed on the right flank and showed the head coach exactly what he was missing out on with the overall squad.
After being included in the preliminary squad, there is now a chance the forward could be involved for the upcoming England matches against Spain, the Czech Republic, or Croatia.
He, like the others included in the preliminary list, will find out the answer to that on Friday, with a nervous wait until then to find out if he has done enough to earn a spot in the squad.
So far this season, Ngumoha has played on the right, with Andoni Iraola handing even more responsibility to the youngster to start matches and make an impact.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 9: Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Liverpool FC and Atletico de Madrid at Anfield on September 9, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Ngumoha has played on both flanks for Liverpool so far this season(Image: Getty Images)
The 18-year-old is still waiting for his first goal involvement of the campaign, but there have been bright sparks and a clear trust there from Iraola to keep giving him chances to shine where possible.
“It's been a pleasure so far,” Ngumoha recently said on working with Iraola. “In preseason he was just getting his ideas across to me and the team and what he wants.
“For me, he wants me to be direct on the ball. He knows my qualities and if I can just get at a man quicker and help put a ball in the box or get a shot off, then that's my job really. Then off the ball as well, you have to work off the ball, whether it's tracking a full-back and stuff. It's been good.
“I think on the right I've been alright,” he added. “It hasn't been my natural position but every day on the training pitch I'm just trying to improve and get better on the right."
A call-up from Tuchel would be yet another show of faith from a coach, who can see the potential and quality that Ngumoha can bring to any situation.