Rio Ngumoha has handed Arne Slot a welcome selection headache ahead of Liverpool’s hosting of PSG in the Champions League.
The Merseysiders find themselves two goals down before a ball has even been kicked at Anfield in the second leg of their quarter-final clash.
As such, the time for caution is surely over.
But could that mean Liverpool’s Dutch coach takes the rather bold move of entrusting the most important game of the club’s 2025/26 campaign partly to a 17-year-old?
There’s no question that Rio Ngumoha is ready for the big leagues.
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Against Marco Silva’s Fulham, an opponent many expected would cause Liverpool serious problems amid their turbulent form, the Englishman dazzled.
In 69 minutes of action at L4, the teenager lifted a fanbase that had been left beaten and dulled by the campaign.
Ngumoha registered a goal against the Cottagers, created three chances (including one “big chance”) and collected a whopping 10 touches inside the opposition box.
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A performance more than worthy of the man on his opposite flank, who had spent the better part of a decade causing havoc on the right of the pitch.
If this was the winger’s pitch to Arne Slot to include him directly in his plans for PSG’s visit on Tuesday, you’d struggle to still go with Gakpo on the night.
We want to emphasise that we can empathise with the manager’s plight.
As we’ve seen with many recent examples in football (perhaps, now, even Bukayo Saka among them), overplaying young talents at such an early stage in their development can prove harmful.
We’re not suggesting that Liverpool should have granted Ngumoha an extra 1,000 minutes or so.
However, both player and club could have benefited from the former Chelsea youth prospect’s involvement at various stages of the season.
Particularly given that Liverpool have ultimately looked a little toothless on the left flank for much of the season.
We think PSG will be expecting more of the same on Tuesday night. So the strongest message Slot could send is that Liverpool aren’t to be taken lightly and will put their best tools to the task.
As Phil McNulty rightly pointed out with the BBC: “Indeed, including Ngumoha would be a high-risk strategy and Slot’s natural default this season has been conservatism. He will also be wary of PSG’s threat on the counter-attack, which has already torn apart better teams than this current Liverpool side.
“The other side of the argument asks: what has Slot got to lose?”
At the moment, on the left, that looks a lot like Rio Ngumoha.
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