Liverpool’s youth contingency has been flying under the radar of late. Perhaps it’s understandable given the current state of Liverpool’s form in Premier League competition.
For Rio Ngumoha, though, this feels like the kind of patch that would test the patience of most young and talented players. After a strong pre-season that saw the winger play himself into the fringes of the senior team, Ngumoha notched his first senior goal with the wonderful poacher’s winner against Newcastle in the first month of the season.
Since then, the starlet has consistently made Arne Slot’s 18, but has seen his minutes taper off – especially following the signing of Alexander Isak. Given that Cody Gakpo is the nominal first choice off of the left and with Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz also capable of manning the wing, it makes some sense that Rio’s time on the pitch would be harder to come by. It’s also likely an opportunity to lower the scrutiny and expectations a little given that many Liverpool fans began to dream of seeing Rio develop into an all-world winger.
While these moments are all part of the typical trajectories in youth development, I’m sure that the young attacker would want nothing more than to be on the pitch and scoring. Which is precisely what he did in Saturday’s U19 Euros qualifier, as Liverpool’s top ranked prospect curled in a gorgeous shot as part of the Englaand U19’s 7-0 dismantling of Latvia.
It can be a difficult thing to keep up one’s own confidence and mentality while biding your time for a shot at cracking the starting XI, but Rio seems quite poised for a player of his age. Watching him slot right into the internationals and not skip a beat only confirms what we know: he’s right where he needs to be in terms of pushing to move from the fringe of the Liverpool squad, to becoming a regular fixture.
Given his talent and seeming mentality, I can’t imagine the wait will be too long before we see more opportunities fro Rio to make the pitch. Here’s hoping he’s able to take those chances and turn them into regular competition for a starting place in the not too distant future.
