Liverpool fans have been left in awe of one of Arne Slot’s stars during their pre-season clash with AC Milan. The Reds kicked off their pre-season tour against their old European rivals, with Florian Wirtz making his first appearance in the famous jersey in front of fans in what turned out to be a 4-2 defeat.
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz were left out of the squad amid speculation surrounding their futures, while Joe Gomez was sent home after suffering an Achilles injury in training. But it is another budding talent that caught the attention of the fans above all else.
Liverpool Youngster Impresses vs AC Milan
The forward had Fikayo Tomori on strings
The youngster was eager to drive directly at the Milan defence whenever he was in possession, showing an incredible turn of pace and completing 75% of his dribble attempts. He also grabbed himself an assist, as the one time Tomori was able to stop him in his tracks, the youngster showed great composure and set the ball back for teammate Dominik Szoboszlai, who saw his effort nestle in the top corner.
Of all the attacking talent on display against Milan, it was 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha who stole the show. The teenage sensation, who only just finished his GCSEs and has been praised previously by the likes of John Terry, lined up on the left-hand side of the attack alongside Mohamed Salah and Wirtz. And despite the world-class quality surrounding him, he was the standout in his 45-minute cameo.
The electric display led to plenty of plaudits on social media, with one Liverpool fan saying that the wonderkid was a: “Hell of player already. Reminds me of John Barnes.”
A second described the winger as ‘unplayable,’ while a third simple wrote: “Rio Ngumoha – baller!”
A fourth declared: “Invest in Ngumoha stocks now. My star boy is going straight to the top,” while a fifth followed similar sentiments who added: “Rio Ngumoha is a first team player now. He’s ridiculously good.”
“I have never seen a player like Rio Ngumoha since Sadio Mane. The skill, the pace, the relentless is unparalleled.He should be our back up left winger in the coming season,” claimed another, as a seventh said: “We don’t need a winger anymore, we’ve got Rio Ngumoha.”
An eighth stated: “Somewhere Alexander Isak is watching this and thinking to himself…I can’t wait to play with Rio Ngumoha,” while a ninth added: “Ngumoha is fearless…He makes things happen. We have a gem in our midst.”
Even rival fans are jealous, with one posting: “Pains me to say but, this Ngumoha guy is fantastic, so electric and direct. Liverpool got a baller in their hands.”