Liverpool’s young talent, Rio Ngumoha, will be setting his sights on a starting spot against West Ham this weekend. The 17-year-old has made a strong impression when given the opportunity this season. Ngumoha was instrumental in Liverpool’s triumph over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

The youngster has brought a much-needed injection of pace and flair to Liverpool this season, most notably with his spectacular last-minute winner against Newcastle earlier in the campaign. Following Arne Slot’s comments on his performance at the City Ground, the teenager has since responded, while Liverpool have been advised on who to purchase should they need to replace a club legend. Express Sport delves deeper into today’s Liverpool news.

Rio Ngumoha responds to Arne Slot

Just days after Reds boss Slot suggested that the winger was becoming “stronger” but required a range of skills to succeed at the game’s highest level, Ngumoha has given his first interview.

Speaking after his lively appearance against Forest, Ngumoha said he was prepared to buckle down and give his all.

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“I just try to help the team,” he said. “It’s all I can do. I just put balls into the box whenever the manager needs me. I just need to provide everything I can give and just keep going on.

“I think it has gone really well, you know. I am learning a lot every day and playing with and training with some of the best players in the world.

“I can’t ask for much more as a young kid. So I just think I need to carry on proving, working hard in training and showing what I can do to the manager. The manager is very important to me and he gives me a lot, I would say. After training, he always gives me the right things.

“We always have a meeting and he tells me how well I am doing and he just shows me certain clips of training. All of the staff here are very important and they are helpful.”

Discussing Ngumoha’s capabilities, Slot added: “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 because we are a bit of an exception in terms of our age group of players. Most teams have players of different ages and physicality. But as we all know, talent is only the start of his career, you need so many other things.”

Three-man shortlist to replace Salah

Mohamed Salah’s Anfield future has become a topic of intense speculation lately. The Egyptian forward signed a new contract last April, yet persistent rumours suggest he may depart Liverpool at the end of the current campaign.

Salah’s deal runs until the summer of 2027, whilst speculation continues over a possible move to Saudi Arabia down the line. Former Reds striker Emile Heskey suggested that the Reds should consider Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic as potential replacements for Salah.

“We’re talking about replacing Mohamed Salah and I think as fans you’ve got to look at something different because you can’t replace Mo Salah,” Heskey told OLBG.

“I do like the lad from PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He would be my go-to. Would Jarrod Bowen be a downgrade from Mohamed Salah?

“I think most players are a downgrade compared to Salah but to be honest with you Bowen is a different type of player and he would probably help the formation because he’s going to work a little bit harder than Mo.”

“I actually quite like Christian Pulisic. He is very direct. He probably didn’t get as many goals as I would have liked him to get at Chelsea but I thought he gave defences problems. Obviously after a good World Cup, being at home with the pressure on him, he is definitely someone who could offer something different to Mohamed Salah or even Cody Gakpo right now.

“Mo left Chelsea to go to Italy and look at what he’s done for Liverpool. I think it’d be great to see someone like Pulisic come back into the Premier League in the same way.”

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