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Liverpool talent Rio Ngumoha was heavily involved in the Reds' pre-season preparations for the new campaign, but Michael Owen has warned that the 16-year-old will be managed carefully in the coming months.
Arne Slot kept Ngumoha on the bench at the weekend as Liverpool took on Crystal Palace. And Owen thinks the former Chelsea starlet, who moved to Anfield just over a year ago, should not be thrust into the limelight too soon.
"I think the hardest thing for a player like him is playing in a team like Liverpool is where do you get in?" Owen, who scored on his Premier League debut for the Reds at the age of 17, said.
"You might have the potential to be a top-class player in the future, but do you have the potential to get any of these top players out of the team for the here and now? Probably not.
"So, from that point of view, it becomes the skill of the manager and coaching staff to blood these young players and give them a chance when the time is right.
"It might be in the Carabao Cup, or as an impact player in certain games, and gradually, that player becomes 17, then 18, then 19, and hopefully, you’ve rounded a player by the time they get to 19 or 20.
"They can go on and play a full season in the Premier League, but at the moment, no. I’d be absolutely astonished if a player like that starts every game for Liverpool. It’s just not going to happen."
While Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have both been sold this summer and Federico Chiesa could leave too, Liverpool still has Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah as forward options.
It has also signed Hugo Ekitike and could bring in Alexander Isak as well before the September 1 transfer deadline.
"The club will obviously need to be aware, and that’s where the sports science and medical teams will have all the data to know how much to push and sometimes to hold back," Owen, speaking to AskGamblers, said.
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"This is the skill of the academy coaches to get them to where they are now. It is not to have them as finished products at 16. There’s still a lot to learn.
"He’s in the right place to do it, but it’s also a difficult place. If he thinks he’s going to start lots of games, then he probably would elsewhere. But that’s the pros and cons you take by being at a great club."
Liverpool.com says: There is absolutely no rush for Ngumoha to take the next steps. In the domestic cups, he and Trey Nyoni should get minutes, but in more senior games, they can be gradually put in. If the Reds are three goals up, there is no reason they can't look to come off the bench for 10 minutes here and there, when the pressure is off.
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