Ex-Liverpool stars in agreement over whether Arne Slot will start Rio Ngumoha vs PSG

Slot said the teenage protege is ready to play in the biggest matches and hinted he might be an option for the midweek Champions League quarter-final second leg

Ex-Liverpool players Jamie Redknapp and Stephen Warnock don't believe Rio Ngumoha will start against PSG

Ex-Liverpool players Jamie Redknapp and Stephen Warnock believe Rio Ngumoha won’t start against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek despite the winger’s excellent performance in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Fulham.

The teenager was selected as the player of the match in just his second-ever Premier League start, as he lit up Anfield with a sublime individual performance. Ngumoha carried a threat all afternoon, cutting inside from the left wing, and he also netted the opening goal when he twisted and turned in the box, before arcing a shot beyond Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Slot has been careful with his handling of the ex-Chelsea youth star, but conceded after Saturday’s game that Ngumoha is now ready to start in the biggest matches.

“Now I think the question, of course, is can he do this two days later? But would he be able to play at that level?” Slot said, when asked if Ngumoha could be handed a starting berth against PSG.

“Yeah, I play him because I see him as one of the players we are having. It's not like he is less or at the beginning of the season, he was a young player, getting some experience with the first team. Now he is someone I can pick for every game, so also the one on Tuesday.”

However, neither Warnock nor Redknapp expects Slot to follow through with that hint.

“His performance prompted Slot to say post-match that Ngumoha is ready to start,” Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 from Anfield.

Ngumoha became the youngest-ever Premier League scorer at Anfield with his goal against Fulham(Image: Getty Images)

“I think you’ve got to be careful with him. You’ve got to drip feed him in as and when you can. However, the one thing I would say is that his performances are better than Cody Gakpo’s at the moment, so Liverpool fans are looking at that and thinking: ‘He should be playing’.

“The question now is who starts in the forward positions on Tuesday, particularly that left-hand side? Will it be Ngumoha to start and then Gakpo comes on at a later point, because he’s earned his right to play today.”

As for Redknapp, who revealed he has known Ngumoha’s family for several years, the ex-midfielder said he expects a more reserved approach from Slot.

“I would say he gives you a great option from the bench, that’s what I think will happen,” the 52-year-old said on Sky Sports.

Ngumoha has slowly come to occupy a bigger role in Slot's plans(Image: Getty Images)

“I just think, right now, when I’m looking to pick Liverpool’s best team for a huge game, I like the midfield they ended up with, with [Ryan] Gravenberch, [Alexis] Mac Allister and [Dominik] Szoboszlai.

“I think that’s a midfield that has got a bit of everything. It’s pretty much the midfield that won the league last year for Liverpool, and I think it might be a game for, if [Hugo] Ekitike starts as a no.9, then you might need [Florian] Wirtz on the left and [Mohamed] Salah, who did really well today, to play on the right.

“That feels like it has a nice shape to it. You’ve got [Alexander] Isak to come off the bench if you need him and then Rio to give you a bit of X-Factor.

“I would be surprised if he started, but I guarantee you he will get some very valuable minutes in that game.”