Sports
Liverpool have a young star who’s more exciting than Ngumoha
Liverpool have rekindled their connection with their academy in recent years. There is Jurgen Klopp to thank for that. The German manager’s illustrious tenure oversaw the birth of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and a host of prospects emerged too.
Toward the end of his journey, ‘Klopp’s Kids’ played an instrumental role in steadying the ship in 2023/24, winning the Carabao Cup against Chelsea, odds stacked against the injury-hit Reds, who prevailed all the same against the “billion-pound bottle-jobs“, as infamously asserted by pundit Gary Neville.
Arne Slot parted with many of Liverpool’s up-and-comers when replacing Klopp in 2024. FSG were reworking Liverpool’s strategy, and such youngsters would be afforded little more than bit-part roles.
However, the Anfield side have ushered in a new wave. They might not be getting much of a look in right now, but there is young talent abundant in this team, and Rio Ngumoha is the new cream of the crop.
Rio Ngumoha’s future at Liverpool
Liverpool sold Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for about £65.5m in August, and they did not directly replace him. Partly, this was because sporting director Richard Hughes had already added a host of attacking talent to the squad, and Alexander Isak was still to come, but the emergence of left winger Ngumoha was another important factor.
Now, the Reds are setting their sights on Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause in his contract and is being lined up by all the Premier League’s heavyweights.
Ngumoha has such talent and potential, and he has been a part of Liverpool’s first-team squad for the duration of the campaign. Despite this, his match action has been limited, only featuring eight times. Moreover, he has recently featured for Rob Page’s U21 side, ostensibly to build up match fitness.
After scoring a dramatic winner at St. James’ Park in August, Ngumoha, 17, announced himself as a new star-in-waiting for the Merseysiders.
|
Youngest Scorers in Premier League History |
||
|---|---|---|
|
# |
Player |
Age |
|
1 |
James Vaughan |
16 yrs, 8 months, 27 days |
|
2 |
James Milner |
16 yrs, 11 months, 22 days |
|
3 |
Wayne Rooney |
16 yrs, 11 months, 25 days |
|
4 |
Rio Ngumoha |
16 yrs, 11 months, 26 days |
|
5 |
Cesc Fabregas |
17 yrs, 3 months, 21 days |
He is the most exciting youngster Liverpool have, but that’s not to say those lower down the pecking order don’t have what it takes to leapfrog the former Chelsea prospect, with one in particular standing out.
The Liverpool youngster who could rival Ngumoha
The pathway from the youth group to superstardom in Liverpool’s senior side is not a particularly well-trodden one, but Joshua Abe has the quality to mimic Ngumoha and those before him in taking the leap.
Aged 15, Abe is punching well above his weight, having established himself in the U18 side, and The Secret Scout called him “the best winger in the country” for his age bracket. High praise indeed, that.
In the U18 Premier League, Abe has already scored two goals and provided two assists across five outings. He has scored three times across five caps for England U16s.
A natural scoring sense and desire to cut inwards from the right wing, arcing toward the centre and striking on goal, Abe has the directness and explosiveness to become Liverpool’s own version of Semenyo down the line, with one scout suggesting he has the potency and natural physicality to emulate the playing style of someone like Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.
Perhaps that is why the Gunners have developed a reported interest in the wide forward, with their scouts having watched him this season ahead of a potential swoop in 2026. Liverpool cannot allow him to join a rival, even with plans to sign someone like Semenyo.
If Abe can translate his potency onto the major stage, taking the baton from the legendary Mohamed Salah, he might just become a more exciting asset than Ngumoha for the Reds.
Liverpool’s interest in Semenyo is real, but perhaps they will only forge ahead with plans for the two-sided winger if Salah leaves in January, as is feared.
But with prospects like Ngumoha and Abe on their way to the fore, you can understand the hesitance.
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