After his starring performance against Fulham today, there will inevitably be a clamour for Rio Ngumoha to start in Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
The 17-year-old revelled in scoring his first goal at Anfield this evening, a brilliant curled finish beyond Bernd Leno, with numerous reporters rightly singing the teenager’s praises after that fairytale moment and his overall performance against Marco Silva’s side.
The youngster has now started in two of the Reds’ last three Premier League matches but is yet to do so in Europe’s flagship club competition, although his eye-catching performance on Saturday could well see him earn Arne Slot’s trust against the reigning continental champions.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Stephen Warnock believes that Ngumoha would’ve ‘earned’ a starting berth against PSG if he’s given one, although the ex-Liverpool defender issued a cautionary note about the use of the prodigious attacker.
He said of the 17-year-old: “I think you’ve got to be careful with him. You’ve got to drip feed him in as and when you can. However, the one thing I would say is that his performances are better than Cody Gakpo’s at the moment, so Liverpool fans are looking at that and thinking: ‘He should be playing’.
“The question now is who starts in the forward positions on Tuesday, particularly that left-hand side? Will it be Ngumoha to start and then Gakpo comes on at a later point, because he’s earned his right to play today.”
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It’d represent a huge show of faith from Slot if he is to hand Ngumoha a start against PSG on Tuesday night, but the teenager’s case has become increasingly difficult to ignore following his magnificent performance today.
The Liverpool Echo‘s Paul Gorst hailed him as ‘a star in the making’ after his masterclass against Fulham, while Gary Lineker has previously said that he’s seen traits of Kylian Mbappe in the Reds winger.
The 17-year-old’s goal was obviously the standout moment this evening, but as seen in figures from Sofascore, his overall display against the west Londoners was highly impressive.
Ngumoha can’t be doing much more to prove that he’s worthy of a start in Liverpool’s must-win Champions League showdown against PSG, and his fearless effervescence may be exactly what’s needed if Slot’s side are to pull off a remarkable comeback at Anfield in midweek.
We understand the argument for not overburdening the youngster, but we’d have no qualms whatsoever about starting him on Tuesday night. He’s proven that he’s more than good enough to deserve his opportunity on the biggest stage.
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