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Arne Slot said that Rio Ngumoha's impact is "really promising" as he addressed the 16-year-old's exciting cameo against Yokohama F. Marinos.
Ngumoha came on in the second half of the Reds' second and final game of their pre-season tour of China, and capped an exciting display with a fine solo goal.
The teenager picked up the ball just inside the opposition half, before driving straight at the defense, jinking inside onto his right foot, and slotting a neat finish into the corner of the net to make it 3-1 to Liverpool. Speaking about Ngumoha in an interview with The Athletic after the game, Slot said: "We’ve only played two games over here and we haven’t played against Premier League opponents yet.
"But I see him train, I see him play, and the impact he has when he trains and plays is really promising.
"Playing in the Premier League, playing every three days with the Champions League games in between, that’s something else.
"But he’s definitely a player who shows at this moment in time that if he keeps bringing these performances in, then tonight (against Marinos) definitely won’t be the last time he plays a few minutes for Liverpool.
"It’s all about consistency. He needs to show it every single day we’re on the pitch."
There has been a huge amount of excitement surrounding the youngster at Liverpool ever since he made the switch from Chelsea in September 2024.
Ngumoha made his only appearance of last season in the third round of the FA Cup, against Accrington Stanley, and his encouraging performance in that game was enough to get Reds fans enthusiastic about what the future might hold.
After scoring against Marinos, Ngumoha told club media: "It was a very big night tonight. I feel like coming off the bench to make an impact was really good. It was obviously nice to get a goal today but that's just the first of many.
"Like I said last time, I just keep on working hard and showing the manager what I can do."
There have been calls from some supporters for Ngumoha to be used in the first team on a regular basis during the 2025-26 season, but the player himself is managing his own expectations.
"I'm not trying to rush because I'm still only young," Ngumoha said. "But at the same time, I just want to show the manager what I can do and not get too complacent.
"I just want to do bigger and better things for me and the club."
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