Liverpool has 'unbelievable' talent developing under Arne Slot as 'all-round great' star hailed

Liverpool fans have been excited by watching Rio Ngumoha lately, but there is another teenager developing nicely under Arne Slot, who is an "unbelievable" midfielder

Trey Nyoni during the FA Cup fifth round match between Wolves and Liverpool.(Image: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Rio Ngumoha, quite rightly, has made headlines this season. But Liverpool also has another big talent who is now a regular in senior training under Arne Slot.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni is another who is vying for a bigger role, and Slot is a big fan. At both senior and youth level for Liverpool, the teenager, who was snapped up from Leicester City in 2023, is making a big impression.

"Trey has developed really nicely in the last year," Slot said at the end of January. "He is getting closer and closer to coming in at moments that matter more."

In his last four appearances for Liverpool's U21s side (actually equivalent only to three lots of 90 minutes in total), Nyoni has scored once and set up another four goals for his teammates.

At 18, he looks a level above the others on the field, and though he has only played 220 senior minutes so far this season, there are reasons behind that.

Even Curtis Jones has struggled for consistent game time because the Liverpool midfield has generally stayed fit this season, even if plenty of other positions have been decimated by several issues.

Instead, Nyoni has moved up and down the age groups, continuing his development while having his game time managed. More than once, he has played for the first team one day — a minor appearance off the bench — before appearing for the U21s the next.

Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool(Image: MB Media/Getty Images)

"He's handled it with class, absolutely," U21s boss Rob Page told reporters, including from Liverpool.com, last weekend. "He's a top bloke and an unbelievable player. He gets on great with the lads and he's still a young lad himself.

"I think he's best mates with Amara [Nallo], so whenever he comes down, he's great to have around him. Like I said, you talk about football intelligence on the pitch but he's got it and then some, so you can see why he's going to have a bright future in the game.

"He's brave on the ball, he can play as a six or an eight, he's so intelligent, and he knows when to drop the ball to create a three.

"We wanted to build in a three [in the weekend's 5-0 win over Wolves] and I gave him the option — I gave him flexibility out of him and Kyle [Kelly] to drop back in.

Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha in Liverpool training(Image: Getty Images)

"We gave Trey the responsibility with Kyle to drop back in and Trey knows exactly the right time to do it. His timing is brilliant, his range of passing is exceptional.

"He can play as an eight, and like I said, he's got the athleticism as well to run him behind him. He's just an all-round great player."

Alongside Nyoni, Ngumoha has made a big impression at the first-team level recently. And Kieran Morrison, who has captained the U21s team of late, is another who has started to make first team benches — he came on late in the FA Cup victory at Wolves on Friday.

"They're looking at it now and seeing Kieran get his opportunity, and rightly so — his attitude has been first class," Page said.

"He's kept the armband today, even though Amara was fit. He has kept the armband because he's given that level of performance week in, week out.

"And not just on the pitch, but he does off the pitch as well. I've seen a complete change in his professionalism and he deserves an enormous amount of credit for that.

"And I think, like I said, having that little bit of a taster with the first team is giving that even more importance for him to continue in the way he's developing. So there's definitely a pathway there for them."

Ngumoha is the closest to getting a regular role right now, but Nyoni isn't a million miles behind. He's going to need to remain patient, but the England youth international is another special talent who Liverpool is developing and will be worth keeping an eye on.