Rio Ngumoha was once again the overwhelming positive for Liverpool as they recorded yet another disappointing result on Sunday.
The 17-year-old has been a bright spark all season long, and was finally handed his first ever Premier League start by Arne Slot against Tottenham.
With another huge game to come on Wednesday as Liverpool attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the Champions League, former Reds captain Phil Thompson has backed Ngumoha to start against Galatasaray as well.
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Phil Thompson urges Slot to play Ngumoha
Although he ultimately could not threaten the Tottenham goal on Sunday, Ngumoha still managed to create some havoc and looked the most likely attacker for Liverpool.
The youngster frightened the life out of experienced right-back Pedro Porro, with a stat emerging after the game that Ngumoha had equalled a Florian Wirtz record for most take-ons in a Liverpool match this season.
Speaking on The Official Liverpool FC Podcast after the draw with Spurs, Thompson admitted that he would love to see Ngumoha play against Galatasaray in order to challenge what he expects will be some ‘committed’ defending from the Turks.
“It’d be nice to see him play on Wednesday, because they are so committed the way they play Galatasaray, they’ll be hanging legs left, right and centre there and I think he will have a big impact, even if it’s 60 minutes,” he said.
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While pundits and fans continue to get carried away over such a special young talent, though, Thompson did also sound a word of caution, suggesting that anyone hoping to see Ngumoha across a full 90 minutes might be waiting for a while.
“The problem is he’s not getting over that 60 minute mark,” he said. “You want more than that if he’s making such an impact and he’s that sort of a player. But I don’t think we’re going to get that between now and the end of the season. He’s going to be a 60 to 70 minute player and you can see him visibly tiring once he’s getting to that 60 minute mark.
“It’s difficult how you handle that so close to the end of the season.”
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Analysis: Will Ngumoha start again?
Given the way Ngumoha threatened Spurs on Sunday – and the lack of any real impetus from his other attacking options – many will feel the same as Thompson here: Rio should start.
However, Slot has been keen to protect the teenager from overuse throughout the season, and with the Gala game coming only three days after Tottenham, it feels more likely he’ll be used from the bench.
That could yet be enough for Liverpool, but with the Reds needing at least two goals to progress in normal time, a fast start may be vital.
Many fans would rather see Ngumoha start the game and help Liverpool get a couple of goals up before coming off, than be thrown on with the Reds chasing a goal or two with a small portion of the game remaining.
Unfortunately, though we could be proven wrong, we would be slightly surprised if Slot does turn to his No. 73 for a second consecutive match.
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