Rio Ngumoha put the Premier League on notice again during Liverpool’s win over Fulham, leading Arne Slot to a bold conclusion.
The 17-year-old is all over the headlines again after leading the Reds to a first league win since February. He was instrumental to Liverpool’s attack, scoring the opener and making a second for Mohamed Salah.
And it’s the Egyptian who Slot cited when describing the quality of Ngumoha’s forward play. The comparison is accurate based on the aesthetic of the goal he bent into Berndt Leno’s far corner, but it’s an exciting assessment for the bigger picture as well.
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Liverpool v Fulham - Premier League
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Arne Slot saw Mo Salah in Rio Ngumoha’s play against Fulham
When Salah leaves Liverpool at the end of the season, he’s going to leave behind a void of seismic proportions. It’s just how it goes with legends.
We all know the potential Ngumoha has, and would like nothing more than to see him step into those sizeable boots.
Slot has belief in him, as he has shown as the season has worn on. His latest comparison for the teenager emphasises that.
He said in his press conference: “I’ve said a few weeks, maybe months ago, one or two months ago, that his playing time would increase because he got stronger and stronger, showed more and more when he came in, but also in training sessions, that it wasn’t only a nice trick but there was more and more end product to what he did.
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“There was more and more power to what he did which is needed if you play against the best defenders in the world and I don’t think anyone is surprised then at this moment in time he scored his first goal.
“He has such a special quality which you don’t see a lot in football anymore, dominating the 1v1 situation and that’s exactly what he did when he scored his goal um making the ball free by twisting and turning and then hitting it in like a Mo Salah finish.”
It really was a Salah-esque goal, just from the opposite flank. Even when he was 16 and making the odd cameo last season, we could all see that this is a generational dribbler. Where he needed to improve was with finishing plays, and we have seen some real quality examples of that this season.
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Rio Ngumoha celebrates after scoring for Liverpool during their Premier League match against Fulham at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/ANDY BUCHANAN /AFP).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Andy Buchanan/AFP
It’s worth remembering that Salah didn’t reach his peak in that regard until his mid-20s, where Ngumoha isn’t even 18 yet.
If he can keep working on being clinical in the final third, why shouldn’t he be able to reach the heights the Egyptian has been at for nine years? Slot has belief, and fans should too.
Slot on playing Ngumoha vs PSG
After lauding the youngster’s performance and potential, Slot was asked whether he is ready to start against PSG in the Champions League.
His response: “Yeah, I think he’s ready. Yeah. Now the question of course is uh can he do this two days later again? That’s another question. But would he be able to play and perform at that level? Yeah, I play him because I see him as one of the [senior] players we are having.
Rio Ngumoha scores for Liverpool v Fulham - Premier League
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
“In the beginning of the season, he was a young player getting some experience with the first team. But now he’s just someone I can pick for any game.”
Is he good enough? Absolutely, according to Slot. Rotation will likely see him contribute from the bench, though.
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