Rio Ngumoha says Liverpool have a young star who can go to the very top

Rio Ngumoha underlined his status as Liverpool’s most exciting young player once again as the Reds faced Chelsea on Wednesday, delivering another strong performance against his former club.

Ngumoha did fade out of the game during the second-half, but he still showed plenty before that to demonstrate why there is such excitement about his future at Anfield.

The 18-year-old was not the only youngster to impress for Liverpool, however, with Trey Nyoni arguably putting in an even better display. Andoni Iraola praised Nyoni after the game, and Ngumoha also hailed his fellow teenager, claiming that the 19-year-old still has levels to go up.

Nyoni’s top performance will not have come as a surprise to anybody who has been watching him since his breakthrough at Liverpool, with the midfielder long seen as a youngster who could become a first-team regular.

That prediction is finally coming to fruition under Iraola, and Ngumoha believes that there is still so much more to come from the former Leicester City prospect as well.

“Trey is top. You guys haven’t even seen him at his top, top level,” the winger told Sporty TV.

“He still has definitely another level to go and he’s only 19. The sky is the limit for Trey and I’m really happy that he’s getting the minutes that he can to show himself, and also show everyone else how good he is. Yeah, he’s top.”

From the source “We played some good football today. We are not here to joke and we want to achieve big things.#—Rio Ngumoha#SportyTV

What was possibly the most impressive thing about Nyoni’s display against Chelsea was just how regularly he got on the ball.

The England U21 prospect had more touches (86) than anyone else on the pitch for either team, and made 76 attempted passes.

65 of them reached their target, and though he was much less accurate with his long-range passing – completing only one of seven attempts – Nyoni was happy to play the ball forward, making seven passes into the final third.

He does not look like a creative midfielder, and did not set up any chances for Liverpool on Wednesday, but his defensive stats were good. Having made six defensive contributions including two tackles and four interceptions, Nyoni also impressed in terms of duels, winning three out of six on the ground and his only battle in the air.

There is a feeling at Liverpool that Nyoni could be a long-term starter, and with his stats beginning to back that up, Ngumoha is confident that he will only continue to go from strength to strength.