Rio Ngumoha’s rise to senior football at the age of 17 has been nothing less than phenomenal. Within just 12 months, the teenager has gone from the UEFA Youth League to penning a new contract with Liverpool.
The 17-year-old winger impressed to the point that Arne Slot preferred the Englishman over Federico Chiesa for the UEFA Champions League List A squad.
The main problems were regarding non-homegrown player limits, but the Italian winger has now found his way back following defender Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury.
Leoni made his debut against Southampton. However, bad luck struck as the defender suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his Carabao Cup debut.
Many pundits acknowledged Chiesa’s injury problems as a major cause of exclusion. Ngumoha, on the other hand, has been fit despite moving up the ranks so quickly.
Rio Ngumoha Liverpool contract signed
Rio Ngumoha signs his first professional contract (Credits: Imago Images)
Liverpool confirmed that Rio Ngumoha has signed his first professional contract with the club. Despite an invitation to the first team, a professional contract was still missing in the Englishman’s account.
There are not a lot of confirmed details, but the Football Association does put some restrictions on professional contracts signed by players under 18 years of age.
The FA limits such contracts to a maximum of three years, and that timeline seems the most viable considering the player’s relationship with the club.
It was only a year ago that the Englishman made his debut in the UEFA Youth League for Liverpool. The summer proved to be very fruitful for the winger as he placed himself in the first team squad through the pre-season.
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Mohamed Salah talks about the teenager’s future
Rio went on to make his first-team debut in an FA Cup fixture. The winger didn’t manage to score a goal then, but he did manage to impress the spectators.
Ngumoha’s Premier League debut was different, though, as the teenage sensation lived out the dream of millions of budding footballers worldwide.
Coming on against Newcastle United, the winger scored an injury-time winner against the Magpies as the Reds were fighting for three points at St. James Park. Mohamed Salah had some suggestions for the winger following his debut goal.
“I told him after the game: ‘Just leave the social media alone’. Okay, you can be happy about the goal with your family, with your friends. Enjoy the moment to the max because it’s like your first moments in football”, the Egyptian told Blazers Media Network.
