Liverpool will begin a new Champions League campaign on Wednesday and one of their youngsters has been tipped to be the breakout star of the tournament.
Liverpool are preparing to get another Champions League campaign underway and there is work to be done after last season. Arne Slot’s team topped the league phase table, but tasted defeat to eventual winners PSG in a last 16 penalty shootout.
This was yet another European tournament where Liverpool failed to meet expectations. Indeed, the Reds have not made it past the round of 16 stage since the 2021/22 season, when they were defeated by Real Madrid in a closely contested final.
However, there will be renewed hope ahead of this season’s competition, especially with new talents bursting onto the scene. One such player is the 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha who introduced himself by scoring a last minute winner at St James’ Park last month.
Rio Ngumoha is ready to take on Europe’s elite and many eyes will be keenly watching the young attacker, including Ally McCoist.
During a Champions League quick fire round question The pundit told TNT Sports that he expects Ngumoha to be the “breakout star” of the Champions League. This is a huge prediction to make, considering he is yet to complete 90 minutes of senior football for Liverpool.
Despite this, Ngumoha is highly thought of in Merseyside, particularly by the Liverpool manager. Slot selected Ngumoha ahead of Fedrico Chiesa in Liverpool’s Champions League squad, giving the teenager his vote of confidence. Of course, the fact he is a homegrown player likely played a part in the decision, but it is still a big achievement.
This is especially true of someone so inexperienced. Nguhoma actually made more appearances in the u18s Premier League than he did in Premier League 2 last season, so he is still fresh from youth football. However, he does have experience playing in Europe, having made six appearances in the UEFA Youth League last season.
Liverpool do not have an easy run of fixtures in the opening round of the Champions League, but Qarabag at home is definitely one Nguhoma could start. He will be doing everything in his power to impress whenever he gets the chance and this could see him awarded with the opportunity to start his first match in the best club competition around.
