2 days ago
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While Rio Ngumoha may have been slightly playful, his reaction when questioned about his strike in the friendly victory against Stoke City at the weekend reveals plenty about his confidence.
"It was my first goal and definitely many more to come!" he remarked. "I was just happy to get the first one out of the way. Now let's hopefully push on and work harder." Ngumoha was chatting following a training session in Hong Kong, where he stands as one of just a select few younger talents to have been summoned by Arne Slot for the Far East expedition.
It marks the continuation of a rapid ascent through the system for the left-sided attacker, who remains over a month away from his 17th birthday - shortly after which he is anticipated to pen his maiden professional deal at Liverpool - and has spent fewer than 12 months at the club having been poached from Chelsea.
Along with netting the fourth strike in the 5-0 thrashing of Stoke, Ngumoha also featured from the start in the opening pre-season encounter at Preston North End the preceding weekend and produced an eye-catching display, particularly when playing a crucial part in helping fashion Conor Bradley's opener.
With justification did Ngumoha make his bow for the Liverpool senior side before he appeared at under-21 standard having required minimal time to make his mark with the U18s and subsequently an U19 squad in the UEFA Youth League.
The teenager delivered an impressive performance when he became the second-youngest debutant in the club's history, starting the FA Cup third-round victory over Accrington Stanley in January, having previously earned a place on the bench for the League Cup quarter-final triumph at Southampton the month before.
Ngumoha had indeed been training consistently with the first team throughout the latter half of last season. This pre-season has also provided match minutes to complement the rigorous preparation work.
"Training with the best team in the world, the players that you get to train with, you learn from them and you really test yourself against them," he said. "It has been very good.
"It's like every kid's dream. Amazing, really. Training here in Hong Kong, it's a beautiful place. The sessions are intense and tough but as a footballer you love training, you love playing on the pitch every day, so it's been very good."
The youngster remains grounded and recognises that time is very much in his favour. Liverpool currently have no intentions of sending the teenager out on loan and instead feel his progression would be better served by remaining at the AXA Training Centre, working with both the senior squad and the U21s.
The prospect explained: "Patience is key. I don't want to rush anything. I'm young. Just keep working hard, pushing hard and just showing the manager what I can really do, and affect the team.
"They really help the young players – especially me, Trey (Nyoni). They help us really settle in. (Mohamed) Salah was one of my role models growing up obviously, so it's really big learning from him.
"Everyone is really professional and you can see why they're at the top. They're always thinking about football, recovery, little things like eating right. So I definitely can learn a lot from them."
Meanwhile, Ngumoha's message is unambiguous. "I just keep on smiling and working hard," he expressed. "When I play football it makes me happy."
English (US) ·