17th September 2025 Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England UEFA Champions League Football, Liverpool versus Atletico Madrid Florian Wirtz of Liverpool is replaced by substitute Rio Ngumoha PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK DavidxBlunsden
Liverpool have already lost a player in Giovanni Leoni following the Italian’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Southampton.
The 18-year-old defender made his debut for the Reds against the Saints in a Carabao Cup clash. Unfortunately for Leoni, the defender couldn’t finish the 90 minutes as an ACL injury followed.
The Reds were leading till the 76th minute, until Shea Charles decided to pull one back for Southampton. The score was still 1-1 when Leoni was taken off the field.
Fortunately for Slot, French striker Hugo Ekitike scored the winning goal in the 85th minute. Despite the performance, the Dutch gaffer wasn’t happy with Ekitike’s celebration.
The striker already had a yellow card over his head, but he still decided to celebrate by taking his shirt off. Now he won’t be available for the match against Crystal Palace as the Reds travel to Selhurst Park over the weekend.
Liverpool might miss Rio Ngumoha in November
Rio Ngumoha recently signed his first professional contract with Liverpool. Having made an impact in the first team, the 17-year-old is yet to cement his place in the senior squad.
However, Slot won’t be happy if Ngumoha goes off to play in the FIFA U17 World Cup, which will be held in November. Despite having played for the England U19 already, the Englishman did join the U17 side for the continental U17 Championships last season.
However, there are no confirmations yet regarding the player’s status with the tournament. The squad for this year’s World Cup will probably be announced a few weeks before the start of the tournament.
Hence, October is Liverpool’s earliest bet in knowing Ngumoha’s availability for November. Rio is also a part of the Reds’ UEFA Champions League squad. This follows that there is also the possibility of Slot not allowing the player to join the national team in Qatar.
Quiz: Name the team Liverpool signed these players from in the 2010s
[freshpress-quiz id=”25490″]
Rio Ngumoha’s first goal for Liverpool
Interestingly, Ngumoha ended up scoring his first professional goal before signing his first professional contract. A 100th-minute winner against Newcastle United saved the Reds from walking away with only one point.
Ngumoha seemed excited after his Premier League debut, as the teenager had also scored his first goal for the club on the same day.
“The fans, I heard them screaming my name, and that’s a sensational moment, I would say. But you can’t get too carried away with all the noise, like I said, because at the end of the day, I probably do that finish 100 times on the training ground, so it’s no different with the fans. But obviously, the fans backing you there, it’s just crazy.”
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