Rio Ngumoha. Remember the name. Those who watched his cameo and stunning solo goal on Wednesday will have it in the front of their minds for days to come. This was the moment a 16-year-old announced himself as a talent worthy of storming into Arne Slot’s first-team plans.
There was a sense that the Liverpool boss was trying to play down the performance of the teenage winger afterwards, talking of “learning points” for the rising star. But his trajectory is undeniable.
From his bravery on the ball to his technical skills with it to the pace and persistence which repeatedly took him into dangerous areas and twisted up defenders, Ngumoha showcased how he has gone from an academy talent – signed from Chelsea last summer – given a chance on a pre-season tour to a player now pushing for Premier League minutes.
Ekitike hooked at half-time in frustrating debut
Liverpool supporters tuning in for Wednesday’s friendly in Japan would have been excited to see Hugo Ekitike’s name on the team sheet for the first time following his recent £79m move from Eintracht Frankfurt, but they will not have learned much about their new striker after a largely anonymous 45-minute showing.
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The Frenchman teamed up nicely early on with Mo Salah, displaying an impressive first touch, before being crowded out on the byline, and almost got off the mark on his debut with a cheeky back-heeled attempt as he tried to guide Conor Bradley’s cut back in at the near post.
However, the 23-year-old largely stayed high in his role as a No 9, trying to pin the Yokohama centre-backs, while only occasionally drifting out to the channels in a largely frustrating and incident-free first period.
Ekitike was hooked at half-time in place of the man he is meant to replace in attack, Darwin Nunez, although that was less a verdict on his first-half display and more a pre-planned decision by Slot as the Reds boss tries to gently introduce the forward into his starting lineup.