With growing calls for Rio Ngumoha to start for Liverpool in the Premier League, Arne Slot has explained why he and his staff have been reluctant to do so.
Ngumoha made another telling impact from the bench as Liverpool snatched a late 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, sparking calls for him to start over Cody Gakpo.
It comes with the 17-year-old having yet to make his full debut in the Premier League, making 16 appearances so far for the club but with his four starts across the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Premier League: Most Minutes Aged 17 or Under, 2025/26
Player Age Club Position Apps Minutes
Rio Ngumoha 17 Liverpool LW 9 89
Harry Howell 17 Brighton AM 2 80
Max Dowman 16 Arsenal RW 2 27
Bradley Burrowes 17 Aston Villa RW 1 17
Joel Drakes-Thomas 16 Crystal Palace RW 2 7
Jun’ai Byfield 17 Tottenham CB 1 1
* Data accurate for 2025/26 season via FotMob.
With 89 minutes in the league this season, Ngumoha is the most-used player aged 17 or under in the English top flight, with Brighton‘s Harry Howell (80) the next-closest – and only seven 18-year-olds have clocked more minutes too.
That was part of Slot’s explanation for why the prodigious winger is not yet starting for Liverpool, as he told reporters at the City Ground.
“He has incredible potential, otherwise at 17 years of age you don’t play as many minutes as he does in the Premier League, let alone at Liverpool,” Slot explained.
“I don’t think there’s any other 17-year-old that has played so many minutes this season in the Premier League as he has.
“So that tells you how much of a talent he is and we think he is.
“He’s making progress more and more and that’s why lately you see him playing more and more as well. He gets stronger.
“Apart from his moment where he had that one-vs-one, there were also one or two other moments where he showed that he stood his ground.
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - Saturday, January 24, 2026: Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha and Bournemouth's Álex Jiménez (L) during the FA Premier League match between Bournemouth AFC and Liverpool FC at Dean Court. Bournemouth won 3-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“And that is of course what you need, because you face 25, 26, 27, 28-year-old athletes mainly as your opponents.
“We are a bit of an exception in terms of the age of our group of players, most teams we face have players of different ages and different physicality.
“So for him to show this already at 17 says something about his talent.
“But as we all know, talent is only the start of a career and you need so many other things – as we’ve shown today, Macca a great example of mentality, that is something you need to get a career at this level.”
The Big Debate
Should Rio Ngumoha be more than just an impact sub?
At just 17, Rio Ngumoha has already played more Premier League minutes than any other player his age this season. His recent 13-minute cameo at Nottingham Forest completely transformed the match, with Jamie Carragher insisting the winger “needs to be starting games” given the lack of pace and penetration in wide areas.
Have your say: Is it time to trust Ngumoha with Premier League starts, or is Slot right to keep his usage in check for the long term? Let us know in the comments!