Teen Sensation Ngumoha Shines in Liverpool's 3-1 Comeback Win

Liverpool look set to soar past the £300m mark for summer spending - but it is a teenager brought in a year ago who has caught the eye during pre-season. Reds boss Arne Slot understandably tried to quell some of the growing hype after a stunning solo goal from 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha in Japan.

Yet on the day Luis Diaz departed and left-sided options are being looked at, the signing from Chelsea’s academy last summer shone brightly in a 3-1 comeback win against Yokohama F. Marinos. Florian Wirtz, the £116m man from Bayer Leverkusen, also got his first goal in Liverpool colours on what ended up a decent workout on a dodgy pitch in the Far East.

That was the equaliser after Asahi Uenaka's 55th-minute opener for the J1 League side. Teenagers Trey Nyoni and Ngumoha both then scored in an action-packed second half as Liverpool bid farewell to the Far East.

Ngumoha has certainly taken his chance on tour to push for first-team opportunities in the upcoming season. Liverpool have Cody Gakpo as a left-sided option in Diaz’s absence while £79m man Hugo Ekitike could be utilised there as well if, as expected, Alexander Isak joins later in this window to take the No 9 role.

But Ngumoha is highly-thought of at Liverpool as one of the country’s most exciting prospects and Slot will have to keep a tight rein on growing hopes about him.

“He wasn't the only one that impacted the game from the bench because Trey Nyoni, also a youngster, scored [and was] assisted by Jeremie Frimpong,” said the Reds boss. “In the first goal, I think Curtis Jones played a big part by winning the ball in the midfield.

“Rio again showed the quality he has and that's nice for us because we have a lot of very good players. But to get some very good players through the academy is always helpful and always gives energy to a team as well.

“It's always nice to see young players from 16, 17 or 18 years old already impacting a game. “There was also a moment in the game where he should have squared it to Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] or Curtis.

“So, [there were] also learning parts for him. If you are 16 and you can impact the game like he did, that's definitely worth a compliment.”

While Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes will continue to work on new signings, Slot will keep preparing the side for the new season with two friendlies against Athletic Bilbao on Monday. Then they face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield before their Premier League title defence kicks-off at home to Bournemouth on Friday, August 15.

Slot added: “There are no moments to enjoy what we did last season. So, our full focus is now on this season and how we, I need to prepare the players for another tough season.

“Because I thought last season was already tough but if you look at what all the Premier League teams are doing, the Premier League is even going to get stronger than last season.”

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