Andoni Iraola will have a choice between Rio Ngumoha and new signing Victor Munoz to take the starting berth on Liverpool’s left wing next season.
Cody Gakpo is still an option too, of course, but with the Dutchman somewhat out of favour after a poor season, the fight will surely be between Ngumoha and Munoz.
The Spaniard is the more experienced of the two players, but should Ngumoha’s sparkling talent and incredible potential be given more room to thrive as a starter under Iraola? We posed that very question on Rousing The Kop‘s social media channels on Thursday, with hundreds of fans responding, many stating their belief that there is no clear answer at this stage.
How excited are you by Liverpool’s surprise signing of Victor Munoz?
And what do you think his role will be next season? Is he an immediate starter?
Munoz and Ngumoha backed to share left wing position
Though many Liverpool supporters feel Ngumoha is ready to be a regular starter, it is clear that the 17-year-old cannot be asked to play in every match. As a result, signing someone young, hungry and versatile like Munoz makes a lot of sense.
And that seemed to be the pervading view on RTK‘s Facebook page, with many fans feeling that there is no need to pick a clear favourite just yet.
“They should rotate and share the load and Diomande on the other side,” said one supporter. “Munoz and Rio will share that left wing, while Diomande will take right wing,” echoed another.
“Just rotate both of them, that’s why they signed Munoz, so that Rio development doesn’t get shadowed,” was someone else’s view.
“Share the burden, we have plenty of games for both,” one more fan added, with another concluding that “both can play different minutes and both can play left or right.”
Ngumoha more likely to be the starter
While many supporters were of the view that Ngumoha and Munoz sharing the load would be the right way to get the best out of them both, others were more decisive.
Among those who did pick one over the other, it was clear that if there is going to be a winner here – at least in the arena of supporter opinion – it is going to be Ngumoha.
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“Obviously Rio, Munoz is a versatile squad player,” said one fan, with another adding: “Ngumoha first, the sub will be Munoz.”
“Rio or nothing,” said someone else, with plenty more supporters simply commenting with the teenager’s name by way of support.
“Rio the man and if the other one can play on the otherside,” was another comment, while someone else claimed they had ‘no doubt’ that Ngumoha was the better option over Munoz.
Both will clearly be hopeful of stamping their claim on the position during pre-season, but with Munoz away at the World Cup and perhaps needing time to adapt after joining the club, Ngumoha is in a strong position.
Gakpo may yet have his say as well, clearly, but if the choice is between these two young whipper-snappers, fans are clearly excited whichever way Iraola decides.
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