2 weeks ago
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Rio Ngumoha has received a glowing endorsement from the player he displaced in Liverpool's record books, with predictions he could develop into one of the world's elite wingers.
The teenage prodigy etched his name into Reds folklore when he netted a dramatic 100th-minute winner against Newcastle at St. James' Park in August, aged just 16 years and 361 days. His strike surpassed the previous benchmark set by Ben Woodburn, who found the net against Leeds in the League Cup aged 17 years and 45 days back in November 2016.
Woodburn, currently plying his trade at Salford City, has confessed to mixed emotions about losing his place in history, but holds nothing but admiration for Ngumoha's potential to reach the very top with Liverpool.
"I didn't love it," Woodburn admitted to the Manchester Evening News regarding his record being broken.
"But I was really happy for him. For me, I kind of felt in the moment that [the record] didn't really matter, I probably didn't realise how big it was at the time, so I'd imagine he's the same
"He's probably just loving playing his football, he's played since, and he's been great every time he's played for Liverpool, so I'm sure he'll be fine.
"Liverpool have just signed Isak and Ekitike for over £80million each. It's so difficult for a 17-year-old lad to play, but I was surprised how many games he's played already.
"To me he looks like he could be one of the best wingers in the world at one point, so hopefully he can kick on and do that."
Woodburn's journey at Anfield didn't quite pan out as expected after his promising debut as a teenager.
The Welsh international, who has the same number of international caps as he does first-team appearances for the Reds (11), left Liverpool in 2022.
Woodburn spent time on loan at Sheffield United, Oxford, Blackpool, and Hearts before eventually being released by the Reds.
He then spent two years at Preston, scoring just once in the Championship before being released in 2024 and joining Salford.
Woodburn did well at Salford last season, scoring three goals and providing seven assists in 33 League Two appearances.
He's also made a bright start to this campaign, scoring two goals and providing two assists across all competitions.
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