Liverpool have an abundance of talent coming through their academy at the moment.
The Reds Carabao Cup win of last season showcased exactly the amount of quality youngsters coming through the ranks at Anfield.
But since then, Liverpool have improved things even further. After adding midfielder Alvin Ayman from Wolves, the Reds swooped to snatch Chelsea’s Rio Ngumoha.
Chelsea were furious with Liverpool for stealing Ngumoha, who is thought of as one of the brightest players in his age group.
So far, Liverpool have decided to keep Ngumoha with the U18s, shielding the 16-year-old from the publicity that his arrival generated.
Ngumoha appears to be star in the making, though, and could soon move up the ranks from the Liverpool academy. If he can manage that, his path will bear a striking resemblance to the one taken by Raheem Sterling.
Rio Ngumoha reveals Raheem Sterling support
Sterling is now on the third Premier League club of his career since leaving Liverpool back in 2015.
However, Anfield will always be the place where the England international made his mark on the game.
Like Ngumoha, Sterling was brought up in London. But while Rio was soon snapped up by Chelsea, Raheem was on the books at fellow capital side QPR.
Again mirroring Ngumoha, Sterling caught Liverpool’s attention aged just 15 in 2010. From there, the now 29-year-old went on to play 129 times and score 23 goals for the first-team.
READ MORE: Rio Ngumoha ranked as one of English football’s best prospects
More than a decade after making his Liverpool debut, Sterling wound up at Chelsea, where a very young Ngumoha was just starting to make his mark. And speaking to Lovell Soccer, the teenager picked Sterling out as the ‘one player’ who has supported him so far.
“The one player that supports me is Raheem Sterling, he’s top,” says Ngumoha. “I remember one time he brought me to the side and was just like ‘when you lose the ball, just make sure you’re always in the game because at our level everything goes fast paced so just always be on it and then you can do your little bits.’
“It makes me feel like yeah, I can do what he’s done as well,” adds the winger. “He’s telling me that he sees what I’m good at and stuff. When he’s telling me it’s like ‘that’s Raheem Sterling, wow’.”
Can Rio Ngumoha emulate Raheem Sterling?
Although Sterling was obviously a Chelsea player when he gave this advice to Ngumoha, it is still very fitting that the younger man is now going to try and do what he did at Liverpool.
In reality, it is going to be much more difficult for Ngumoha than it was for Sterling.
In 2012, when he made his debut, Liverpool were nowhere close to the force they are today.
Kenny Dalglish had a rather half-baked side which, although it included Luis Suarez, did not have much more substance up front besides.
For Ngumoha, he has to get past some top, top quality players in order to make it into Arne Slot’s side. But, if he listens close enough and takes the advice given to him by a man who has been there and done it, then maybe he can force his way in.
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