‘A joy to watch’ – Wayne Rooney lauds Liverpool maestro who made life ‘difficult’ for Spurs | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney said that one Liverpool player was ‘a joy to watch’ in the Reds’ 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

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Following a series of impressive cameos from Rio Ngumoha in recent weeks, Arne Slot rewarded the 17-year-old with a first Premier League start for the visit of Spurs to Anfield, with the Dutchman acting upon his pre-match hints that the teenager could be included in the starting XI.

The young attacker played for just over an hour before being substituted to a standing ovation from the home fans, and his performance against Igor Tudor’s side came in for plenty of praise.

Rooney: Ngumoha was ‘a joy to watch’ against Spurs

Speaking on Match of the Day on Sunday night, Rooney said of the Liverpool starlet: “Ngumoha is direct and positive. It is a joy to watch these young players willing to take the ball… You wanted the Liverpool players to keep giving him the ball. He is exciting and entertaining.”

Micah Richards concurred with his punditry colleague, saying: “We see a lot of modern-day footballers get into good positions and play the safe pace to recycle possession, but he is positive and sharp.

“Pedro Porro found it very difficult because he didn’t know what to do with Ngumoha. The next part of his development is the final ball.”

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Ngumoha must be in line to start against Galatasaray

Ngumoha’s performance on Sunday was also lauded by Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports, with the former Liverpool defender saying that the 17-year-old was ‘brilliant’ and virtually impossible for opponents to stop when facing him one-on-one.

Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle awarded him 7/10 in his post-match player ratings, opining that the teenager was ‘pretty quiet’ in the first half but ‘improved’ after the interval, echoing Richards in noting the ‘problems’ he caused for Porro.

The Reds winger completed 90% of his passes and all seven dribbles that he attempted on Sunday, along with winning eight out of his 10 duels, a very impressive return for such a young player against far more experienced operators (Sofascore).

It wouldn’t surprise us if Slot were to restore Ngumoha to the bench for the must-win Champions League game against Galatasaray in midweek in favour of more seasoned attackers, but the youngster would fully merit another start on Wednesday night.

With Liverpool requiring a victory to keep their European campaign alive, the fearlessness and attacking thrust of the 17-year-old is exactly what we need at Anfield. Right now, he appears to be one of the likeliest prospective match-winners in a team which has looked all too mundane of late.