When Liverpool were piecing together their most comprehensive summer rebuild in over a decade, they continued to place unwavering support in two of their brightest young players.
Despite a huge overhaul in which up to £710million ($933m) was exchanged on incomings and outgoings, Liverpool insisted both Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni were central to their future plans.
One reason the club chose not to sign a direct replacement for Luis Diaz when he joined Bayern Munich, for example, was to avoid blocking Ngumoha’s pathway. There were opportunities to strengthen the midfield in the summer window, too, but that would have restricted Nyoni’s development.
Rio Ngumoha (l) and Trey Nyoni (c) training with Liverpool team-mate Ryan Gravenberch (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Managing their top two teenagers has not been straightforward, though, and requires careful balance. Despite their youth, there’s a danger of either player falling into the middle ground between being too advanced for the under-21s but not fully prepared for first-team football, and therefore not featuring for either.
Ngumoha, 17, is the second-youngest player, behind Arsenal’s Max Dowman, to feature in the Premier League this season, which says everything about how highly Liverpool rate him. Head coach Arne Slot has included the attacker in every matchday squad (except against his former club Chelsea) and started him in both of the Carabao Cup games, believing he benefits more from those first-team experiences than from an extended spell in the development teams.
Nyoni’s situation is more nuanced. He’s a year older, has been at the club for a year longer and hasn’t featured in the Premier League this season. Instead of joining Ngumoha in the Champions League squad, he’s played in the UEFA Youth League.
At 18-years-old, time is still on his side, but he’s made just two senior appearances in three months — starting both the Carabao Cup matches — so his situation may need to be addressed ahead of the New Year.
The Athletic looks at both players’ options and what might happen next…
Rio Ngumoha
In the week before the current international break, Liverpool’s under-18s, under-19s, under-21s and senior team all played at least once. Ngumoha was eligible for all of them , yet he didn’t play a single minute.
It is far from the most concerning issue Slot is currently dealing with, but playing matches is a key part of a young player’s development.
After an excellent pre-season, in which the winger scored twice and provided two assists, Ngumoha made himself impossible to ignore and cemented his place in Slot’s first-team squad. Then, on Premier League debut he scored a 100th-minute winner in the 3-2 victory over Newcastle. He had yet to turn 17 at that point, but fast-tracked himself into the spotlight.
Rio Ngumoha celebrates his late winner against Newcastle (George Wood/Getty Images)
The attacker played in both Carabao Cup games, the 2-1 win over Southampton and the 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace, his two starts of his seven appearances so far. He has clocked up 64 minutes in the Premier League (including stoppage time) and those minutes have come in pressure situations, with Liverpool either losing or drawing when he has been introduced. His solitary Champions League appearance, against Atletico Madrid, added another 23 minutes to his total.
For a 17-year-old playing for Liverpool, a total of 256 minutes (including stoppage time) so far this season is a real positive, but with Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup it is not clear when his next start will be. The FA Cup third round in early January could be the answer, and it remains to be seen how many minutes he can add to his total before then.
Liverpool believe he will benefit from being around the first team on a day-to-day basis and developing him that way. Slot wants Ngumoha to train with the senior side because if he drops down and plays for the under-21s he misses three days of first-team sessions — the day before the match, matchday and the following day for recovery.
The decision to not replace Diaz in the summer left Slot with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah as the only two wingers he felt comfortable starting. Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa have been options off the bench, while the versatility of Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz means both can play there despite it not being their natural position.
Slot’s decision to use Wirtz on the left against Real Madrid and Manchester City knocked Ngumoha further down the pecking order, but Salah’s departure to AFCON in mid-December could offer more opportunities until he returns.
A loan move in January appears very unlikely. His young age must not be forgotten and there are no guarantees that a loan move will pay off. It was only just over a year ago that Ngumoha relocated and had to adjust to new surroundings when swapping Chelsea for Liverpool.
If a left-sided forward became available who was too good for Liverpool to turn down, then circumstances may change. However, that would mean blocking Ngumoha’s pathway, something the club want to avoid.
Ngumoha offered a reminder of his talents while on international duty with the England under-19s in the past week. He started against Lithuania and Latvia before being a late substitute against Scotland.
His assist against Lithuania saw him end a slaloming dribble with a cross to the back post for Chelsea’s Shumaira Mheuka to finish.
His goal against Latvia was sublime. After receiving the ball he cut inside and fired a shot into the far corner from the edge of the box.
Liverpool having lost seven of their past 10 matches has not helped Ngumoha’s case for more minutes. Slot hoped entering the season that his side would dominate games and build multiple-goal advantages in games. That would have made it much easier to introduce the winger more frequently.
Trey Nyoni
A loan move in January may be more beneficial for Nyoni who has only featured for the first team in the Carabao Cup.
Starting games for Liverpool at 18 years- old is not only an incredible achievement, but also a sign of how highly he is valued by the club. He’s technically advanced for his age but still catching up physically due to his slender frame, so he’s working to a specific training programme to enhance his development.
With first-team minutes limited at Liverpool, Trey Nyoni may benefit by going on loan in January (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
A number of clubs across the country and in Europe are interested in taking him on loan but Liverpool have not yet decided on his short-term future. If a suitable opportunity opens up, Liverpool are willing to listen, but that also depends on the fitness and form of the senior midfielders.
Under-21s coach Rob Page discussed his position with reporters after the UEFA Youth League defeat to Real Madrid earlier this month: “He’s in a difficult space right now and it’s about keeping him confident and managing his expectations of his involvement with the first team.”
Like Ngumoha, he trains every day with the first team. He has only played once for the under-21s in Premier League 2 this season.
If he is to move on loan, Liverpool will study his future destination carefully as they place an importance on finding the right club.
It’s crucial that he continues to work with the right coaches, in a team that plays to his strengths. Staff who work in Liverpool’s recruitment and loans department are meticulous with their research and considerable work goes into doing their due diligence, including the use of data to find the right fit stylistically.
Ben Gannon-Doak’s successful loan move to Middlesbrough helped earn him a £25million ($33m) move to Bournemouth this summer while Conor Bradley’s season at Bolton Wanderers in 2022-23 gave him the experience to kick on at Anfield.
Nyoni, who was signed from Leicester City in 2023, is recognised as one of the best midfielders in his age group in the country, and has shown promising signs when called upon, but he still has some way to go before catching up with the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
He was a standout performer for England under-19s this week as he started in the victories over Lithuania, Latvia and Scotland, playing in more of a holding midfield position.
Every player’s development path is unique and Liverpool’s ongoing task is working out the best way of maximising the chances of Ngumoha and Nyoni fulfilling their huge potential.
It remains to be seen if there will be any change in how Liverpool are managing the game time of the youngsters over the next few months.
Liverpool’s under-21s will only play friendlies over the next two months until their competitive schedule resumes on January 9, which is hardly ideal, but the under-19s will face PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan in the UEFA Youth League.
