Ex-Liverpool players call for teenage star Rio Ngumoha to start more games as Mohamed Salah criticised

Liverpool’s teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha should start more games for the club, ex-players Jamie Carragher and Daniel Sturridge have said, following his impressive cameo against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Ngumoha is yet to start a Premier League game but came off the bench for the ninth time this season at Forest and was instrumental in turning the game in Liverpool’s favour.

The champions toiled for much of the game until Arne Slot replaced first-choice wingers Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo with Federico Chiesa and Ngumoha. Salah has now gone nine games without a Premier League, the longest barren spell of his career.

And former players believe it is time for the manager to shuffle his pecking order.

“Ngumoha did more in 15 minutes than Salah and Gakpo did in the entire game before that,” Carragher said, speaking as an analyst on Sky Sports. “He changed the game and he needs to be starting games.”

Sturridge tweeted his own praise, posting on X: “Every time I watch Rio Ngumoha, he looks electric. Direct, fearless, always trying to affect the game. He deserves more minutes. Simple as that.”

Arne Slot has been careful to manage Ngumoha’s involvement, with the England youth international’s only club starts coming in FA Cup and Carabao Cup games.

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After Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at the City Ground, the manager defended his cautious approach.

“He has incredible potential, otherwise at 17 years of age you don’t play as many minutes as he does in the Premier League, let alone at Liverpool,” said Slot. “I don’t think there is any other 17-year-old who has played as many minutes in the Premier League as he did [Wolves’ Mateus Mane has played more]. I don’t think there is an 18-year-old or 19-year-old that has maybe played as many minutes as Rio, but that last bit I’m not sure [several teenagers, such as Leny Yoro, Lewis Miley and Archie Gray, have played more minutes this season].

“That tells you how much of a talent he is and we think he is. He is making progress more and more and that’s why you see him playing more and more. He gets stronger and stronger. Apart from his moment when he had his one v one, there were also one or two other moments where he stands his ground. That is what you need because you face 25,26, 27, 28-year-old athletes mainly as your opponents.

“For him to show this already at 17 years of age, it says something about his talent. But as we all know, talent is only the start of his career. You need so many other things. We have shown today – Macca [Mac Allister] is a great example of mentality and that is something you need to have a career at this level.”

Ngumoha may have to continue to wait for a Premier League start, with games against West Ham and Wolves next week, but may get his chance when Liverpool take on Wolves again in the FA Cup on Friday 6 March.