‘The problem is…’ – Insider explains why Rio Ngumoha could leave Liverpool this year | OneFootball

Rio Ngumoha has been tipped to go out on loan from Liverpool for next season if he’s unable to obtain regular game-time at Anfield.

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The 17-year-old has impressed massively in his first few months in senior football, so much so that many pundits (including Steven Gerrard) have called for Arne Slot to entrust him with a starting berth for the Reds.

The teenage winger has made 17 first-team appearances so far this season, although most of those have been as a late substitute, and outside of domestic cup competitions he’s played little more than 150 minutes in total (Transfermarkt).

Ngumoha tipped for summer loan exit

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown believes that regular football is now of paramount importance for Ngumoha to realise his full potential, and that he could be loaned out later this year if he won’t get that at Liverpool.

He told Football Insider: “Ngumoha is obviously a very talented player. Liverpool rate him very highly. They’ve got high hopes for his future and see him as being one of their star players over the next 10 years or more.

“The problem is, the only way he can develop and improve is if he’s playing regular football, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to get that under Slot at the moment.

“Just playing 10, 15, 20 minutes here and there isn’t enough. He needs to be starting games, getting used to the pace, and learning how to perform at this level.

“I think there’s a good chance they could let him go out on loan next season just to get that playing time. A lot of Premier League clubs could benefit from having a player like him, and he would benefit from making that step and playing every week.”

Ngumoha unlikely to be loaned out as it stands

Amid the external clamour for him to be handed a starting berth for Liverpool, Ngumoha recently stated his desire to be playing football at any level he can, even if it’s for the under-18s (for whom he’s still eligible).

It’s easy to forget that he’s still a minor, and that might explain why Slot is proceeding cautiously in terms of the winger’s first-team involvement, although the youngster has taken to senior football with maturity beyond his years.

As it stands, he and the much-maligned Cody Gakpo are the only two left-sided forwards in the first-team squad at Anfield, so the Reds boss might be reluctant to loan out the 17-year-old unless a readymade starting winger is signed in the summer.

Transfer links with RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande (who’s actually just two years older than Ngumoha) have been prevalent, and acquiring him could potentially widen the scope for Liverpool to sanction a temporary exit for their hugely prodigious young talent.

However, such has been the teenager’s promise as an elite-level footballer that we don’t envisage him being loaned out unless there’s a significant change in circumstances, whether that’s a change of manager or a high-profile wide addition to the squad.