‘Our Lamine Yamal’ – Liverpool fans react to Rio Ngumoha masterclass vs Yokohama
Liverpool look to have unearthed a real gem in Rio Ngumoha, with his outstanding pre-season performances catching the eye ahead of the upcoming campaign.
The Reds have gone big this summer as they look to continue their success following an unprecedented Premier League triumph in Arne Slot’s first season in charge.
Slot has moved to make major adjustments to his squad with Florian Wirtz signed for a British record fee, while Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have both joined to be Liverpool’s new first-choice full-backs.
Hugo Ekitike has also made the move to Merseyside, while Luis Diaz recently departed to join Bayern Munich, but the Reds may not need to delve into the market for a new left-winger if Ngumoha continues to shine.
Ngumoha became the youngest player to start a first-team game in Liverpool’s history when he made his professional debut against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup in January, and his progress is showing no signs of slowing down after a hugely impressive pre-season performance.
Liverpool fans rave about Ngumoha after Yokohama showing
Ngumoha joined Liverpool from Chelsea last summer, and while he was able to make his debut in the FA Cup, he was not handed another chance to play in Slot’s first-team for the rest of the campaign as Liverpool focused on winning the league.
The highly-rated 16-year-old has joined the Reds’ senior side on their pre-season tour of Asia, however, and he grabbed an assist against AC Milan on Saturday (26 July), then was brought on just after the hour mark for their friendly against Yokohama F.Marinos in Japan on Wednesday (30 July).
Ngumoha starred off the bench in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over their J-League opponents, and he capped off his cameo with a fantastic solo goal in the 87th minute to wrap up the victory.
The sky is clearly the limit for Ngumoha, and while he has some way to go to match the outstanding exploits of a world-class young winger like Lamine Yamal, some Liverpool supporters have compared him to the Spaniard, with the praise raining down on social media after his performance in Japan.
Ngumoha could tempt Liverpool to resist signing a new left-winger
While Liverpool will obviously not want to get too carried away by Ngumoha’s quality and his high ceiling as a player, there is no time like the present, and Yamal’s rapid rise to the top has paved the way for young players to make their mark on big teams while they are still developing.
The 16-year-old pretty clearly has all the tools to become a regular for the Reds soon, and even though Yokohama are not great opponents to judge how good he could be in the Premier League and Champions League, his performance is sure to give Slot some food for thought.
| Team | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Liverpool (first-team) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool Under-21 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Liverpool Under-19 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Liverpool Under-18 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
Diaz’ exit has led many to believe that they are set to enter the market for a new left-winger, with Anthony Gordon linked with a move to Liverpool and Lyon’s Malick Fofana linked to the Reds, but Ngumoha could well be utilised instead in the upcoming campaign.
Liverpool want to bring Alexander Isak in from Newcastle, and if that move goes through, it seems unlikely that they would also spend big on a new left-winger.
If Isak does arrive at Anfield, then there is a definite possibility that new man Ekitike is regularly used on the left-wing, and so Ngumoha may then become his back-up going forward, with a view to him eventually starting each week for the Reds.