Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha enjoyed a standing ovation after his eye-catching performance against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup victory. The Reds beat Accrington 4-0 at Anfield in the FA Cup third round after Arne Slot used the rotation policy.
The Dutch boss allowed several senior team players to rest while providing important game time to Academy and squad players. Ngumoha made his highly anticipated senior team debut in the left attacking position, playing alongside several senior Liverpool squad players.
Since joining Liverpool in the summer, the 16-year-old has enjoyed a steep rise in his reputation at the Academy level. Ngumoha has all the key physical, mental and technical attributes to establish himself at the topmost level of the game.
Furthermore, Liverpool Academy has enjoyed stable success under the legendary manager Jurgen Klopp which Slot can continue as his successor. Speaking in the post-match press conference (via Liverpoolfc.com), Slot highlighted the quality that Ngumoha brings to Liverpool with this game. He said:
“I think he’s been with us now for half a season. Every time when he comes training with us we see what his qualities are. He can dominate one-v-one situations, he is very quick on his feet, he can change directions really fast. And I’m always happy if a player makes his debut that he shows what we see on the training ground as well, so the fans could see it. And I think the fans liked what they saw; you could feel this in the stadium in the first half already and when I took him out, [from] the reaction of the fans I think we could see they liked what they saw as well. So, special day for him – making your debut, win. He will sleep well tonight, I assume.”
According to Fotmob, Ngumoha completed the most dribbles (three) against Accrington for Liverpool during his 72-minute performance. The 16-year-old enjoyed 89% passing accuracy with 18 total passes and 30 touches during the game.
Ngumoha made five touches in the opposition box and also provided help defensively with two defensive actions. The Liverpool academy youngster also won three duels out of nine which is a decent start for someone his age.
What stood out the most for Ngumoha was his desire to become available for his teammates in possession and take on opponents. While the 16-year-old preferred to cut inside too many times, gaining this information will allow the staff to help him develop.
Liverpool have a strong attacking department and breaking into that rank is a formidable challenge for any young player. With the right development to fulfil his incredible potential, Ngumoha has a big potential to play for the Reds at the highest level consistently.
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