(Credit: Imago, Match of the Day)

Evan Shaw

Sun 12 April 2026 9:30, UK

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Liverpool received yet more evidence that Rio Ngumoha is ready to become a key player after their 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday.

The 17-year-old played from the off on the Reds’ left flank and wowed the Anfield crowd with a stunning curling finish into the bottom corner to set the team on their way in the first half.

The youngster has burst onto the scene with the first-team in recent months, and he has already established himself as one of the brightest starlets that Liverpool have had in recent years.

Ngumoha has been a revelation for Arne Slot’s side on relatively limited minutes so far in 2025-26, but Danny Murphy feels that now is the perfect time for him to become a regular starter for the team.

Liverpool face PSG in a do-or-die Champions League clash in midweek, and their former midfielder is adamant that Ngumoha should be given the chance to start the quarter-final second leg.

Rio Ngumoha backed to epxloit Achraf Hakimi weakness

Liverpool succumbed to a 2-0 defeat in Paris in the first leg last week, meaning that they have it all to do if they are to progress on home turf this time around.

Slot rested some of his more high-profile players for the victory over Fulham, with Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister all starting from the bench.

That decision will likely have been taken with one eye on the midweek clash, but Murphy feels that Ngumoha did enough to prove that he should keep his shirt for the clash with PSG, and added that he is capable of exploiting Achraf Hakimi in the visitors’ right-back position.

“I do understand why when someone’s 17, you try and slowly introduce them, but Liverpool’s needs are desperate. I think he should start (vs PSG) personally,” Murphy said during his analysis on Match of the Day.

“The big thing for me is that, because Hakimi goes wandering and he just plays his own game, why not leave Ngumoha out on the left wing, because if there’s a transition, he’s perfect because he’s so direct and dynamic.”

The starlet has played just 40 minutes of football on the European stage this season, with Slot keen to shelter him for the domestic assignments at the moment, but now could be the time to truly unleash him.

Liverpool will need everything to go in their favour on Tuesday if they are to have a chance of turning the tie on its head, and with that in mind, Murphy is right in his assessment that a raw and unpredictable player should be thrown in.

Liverpool to take Ngumoha into account for Arne Slot sack call

Former Manchester United chief scout told Football Insider back in March that Liverpool could accept a loan offer for Ngumoha this summer, amid a feeling that he is not getting enough football to develop under Slot.

The Dutchman could be sacked at the end of the campaign, as the team are still struggling to find consistency in the second half of the season.

Liverpool will surely have to consider Ngumoha’s development a little when it comes to their manager’s future, as they won’t want to risk stunting a youngster who could become a genuine world-class star.

They will want somebody at the helm who is ready to give him consistent opportunities to flourish, and there are concerns that Slot isn’t providing that at the moment.

For now though, the Reds’ immediate priority has to be trying to save their Champions League campaign, and Ngumoha could be the perfect man for the job.