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Liverpool talent Rio Ngumoha will turn 17 next month and he could therefore sign professional terms with the Reds at that point. Before then, he will hope to impress during pre-season.
Chelsea was furious at having lost such a big up-and-coming player to Liverpool last summer. The Anfield side, though, was able to successfully pitch its vision to the teenager, which included a significantly clearer pathway to first-team minutes.
Sure enough, Ngumoha made his debut in the FA Cup, even making the starting XI as Liverpool beat Accrington Stanley 4-0 at Anfield because Federico Chiesa was unwell. The 16-year-old lined up in a rotated team and lasted 72 minutes before he was replaced by Jayden Danns.
"I think he’s been with us now for half a season. Every time when he comes training with us we see what his qualities are," Arne Slot said after the game when asked about Ngumoha's debut.
"He can dominate one-v-one situations, he is very quick on his feet, he can change directions really fast. And I’m always happy if a player makes his debut that he shows what we see on the training ground as well, so the fans could see it.
"I think the fans liked what they saw; you could feel this in the stadium in the first half already and when I took him out, [from] the reaction of the fans I think we could see they liked what they saw as well.
"So, a special day for him – making your debut, win. He will sleep well tonight, I assume."
Players are only permitted to sign professional terms at the age of 17, so Ngumoha arrived from Chelsea on a scholarship deal. His birthday is on August 28.
At that point, he could be tied down for up to three years, which is the maximum length of contract that a player of that age is allowed to pen.
It has not been disclosed yet which players are likely to be with Liverpool for the early part of pre-season but Ngumoha is someone who has regularly trained with the seniors in recent months.
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He could be in line to play a part in Preston this weekend, for instance, as Liverpool kicks off its summer friendlies. The Reds are next in action against AC Milan and Yokohama Marinos in Asia after that.
Looking further ahead, Ngumoha is likely to play mainly with the Liverpool U21s team. After the departure of Barry Lewtas, they will be managed by the former Wales boss Rob Page.
Liverpool.com says: Ngumoha is a very talented player but he still needs more time to develop. It will be interesting to see if and when he goes out on loan for more regular senior exposure.
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