The 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha has been one of the few highlights in an otherwise underwhelming season for Liverpool, impressing as a substitute in their dramatic late 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Despite his strong performances and the ongoing struggles of Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah this campaign, manager Arne Slot has rarely given Ngumoha significant opportunities. The young forward has accumulated only 375 minutes across all competitions in 2025-26, with a mere 89 minutes in the Premier League.
When questioned about what Ngumoha needs to do to earn a starting spot ahead of Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League match against West Ham United on Saturday, Slot responded to journalists: “It’s another great example of how you can manipulate data—not including cup and Champions League matches, Rio has only played 89 minutes in the Premier League. To be more realistic—or to tell the truth—his playing time has increased significantly in recent weeks, and that’s because he’s developed as a player. People are talking about him because he’s performing really well, and we appreciate that. It’s yet another case of fans wanting to see more of a player who shines whenever he gets on the pitch.
“The standout moment against Forest was his 1v1 duel and how crucial that is in the game, but he also had other positive contributions we discuss internally. That’s all part of his growth, and I’m really pleased with his current progress. If he remains fit, more minutes should come his way in the future.”
However, Slot’s remarks don’t fully align with Ngumoha’s actual involvement. The claim that the teenager’s minutes have risen markedly due to his training-ground improvements doesn’t hold up. In three of Liverpool’s last four Premier League fixtures, he remained an unused substitute, and his only recent appearance was a brief 13-minute substitute stint in the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month.
Slot’s statements prompted frustration from at least one Liverpool supporter on X, who posted: “Rio has played 109 mins in the last 6 weeks…. always so much nonsense he [Slot] speaks.”
At just 17, Ngumoha is understandably still developing, but his primary rival for the left-wing starting role, Cody Gakpo, has failed to produce any goal contributions in his past seven Premier League outings and has managed only three goals across all competitions since late October.
Slot’s reluctance to grant Ngumoha more substantial playing time stems directly from Liverpool’s choice to sell Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich last summer. Diaz delivered 25 goal involvements in his final season at Anfield and, after an explosive start in Germany, has been rated as the world’s top player by data analytics firm SciSports.
Following Diaz’s exit, Slot pushed for a proper replacement, targeting players like Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain and Malick Fofana from Olympique Lyonnais. However, the club’s leadership declined to approve any such transfers.
According to FootballTransfers, Slot was instead instructed to integrate Ngumoha more prominently into the first team. The manager reportedly preferred loaning out the youngster while bringing in a more seasoned option to fill Diaz’s void. This disagreement has reportedly created ongoing tension, indicating that Ngumoha’s limited role this season has little to do with his on-field performances when given the chance.
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