'excellent Prospect' Ngumoha Stars For Liverpool - But Who Is He?

Liverpool's 2nd youngest ever subordinate Rio Ngumoha shone again successful pre-season to get fans wondering if he could beryllium portion of nan first squad this year.

The England Under-17 forward, who turns 17 later this month, scored and assisted successful their Anfield return against Athletic Bilbao.

The Reds were playing nan Basque broadside successful 2 pre-season friendlies - astatine 17:00 and 20:00 BST.

It was a mostly 2nd drawstring XI that started nan first game, pinch Ngumoha connected nan near helping - and he caught nan oculus arsenic he has done each summer.

He scored successful conscionable nan 2nd infinitesimal arsenic he ran onto a loose shot successful his ain half earlier racing guardant and curling a good effort successful from 20 yards out.

Just 3 minutes later he nodded a Ben Doak transverse down for Darwin Nunez to person from adjacent range.

Liverpool fans were singing his sanction arsenic Curtis Jones urged them to show their appreciation.

And he caused nan La Liga broadside each kinds of problems pinch his dribbling and trickery successful nan 4-1 win.

Doak and Harvey Elliott scored nan different goals.

The 16-year-old near to a opinionated ovation midway done nan 2nd half.

"He is specified an fantabulous prospect," said ex-Reds defender Gary Gillespie connected LFC TV.

"The difficult is managing expectations but it's difficult to put a lid connected it."

Ngumoha's capacity came connected nan backmost of an assistance against AC Milan and extremity against Yokohama F. Marinos successful Asian friendlies.

He looks a good talent, if raw, and will beryllium hoping much first-team competitory games are connected nan way.

In January, Ngumoha became nan youngest subordinate to commencement a match, and nan 2nd youngest to play, for Liverpool - aged 16 years and 135 days aged - successful nan 4-0 friends triumph complete Accrington successful nan FA Cup.

But that was his only first-team quality and he ne'er made nan chair for a Premier League game.

That could good alteration this season, particularly pinch truthful galore changes successful nan Liverpool beforehand line.

The sad decease of centre guardant Diogo Jota successful a car clang has been nan main attraction of Liverpool's pre-season. There were tributes to him earlier and during nan crippled astatine Anfield.

Winger Luis Diaz was sold to Bayern Munich and Nunez is simply a target for Saudi Pro League clubs.

An exit for Nunez would mean nan Reds' only really beardown frontline options would beryllium Mohamed Salah, caller signing Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo - giving a chance for personification for illustration Ngumoha to break through.

That is unless they managed to motion Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. An first bid of £110m has been rejected.

"I'm not trying to unreserved because I'm still only young," said Ngumoha past week.

"But astatine nan aforesaid time, I conscionable want to show nan head what I tin do and not get excessively complacent. I conscionable want to do bigger and amended things for maine and nan club."

Ngumoha is not really a Liverpool academy product, having only joined Liverpool from Chelsea's younker set-up past summer.

At nan clip Blues fable John Terry wrote "this boy is and will beryllium a apical player".

He's not looking wrong.