Liverpool gem Rio Ngumoha lauded despite Reds' defeat to AC Milan

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Liverpool fell to defeat in their pre-season friendly against AC Milan in Hong Kong today, but the performance of one player in particular will have delighted Arne Slot.

The Dutchman went with a blend of youth and experience in his starting line-up, with Rio Ngumoha among the up-and-coming starlets given an opportunity to impress during the first half…and that he most certainly did.

Along with every other starter except Ryan Gravenberch, the 16-year-old was substituted at the interval as the Reds boss sought to hand ample game-time to as many players as possible.

Ngumoha praised despite Liverpool falling to defeat

While Liverpool’s concession of three goals on the counterattack will give Slot plenty to mull over in the post-match analysis, the performance of the teenage forward was a standout positive from the game against Milan.

Football journalist Bence Bocsak took to X at half-time to heap praise on Ngumoha, describing him as ‘one of the best players on the pitch’ while also proclaiming: ‘What a talent’.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Rio Ngumoha created the most chances (2), won the most duels (4) and completed the most dribbles (3) in the first half against AC Milan. He also provided an assist and was one of the best players on the pitch. What a talent 💎 pic.twitter.com/iQ9TengIgD — Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) July 26, 2025

Ngumoha looks like a start of the future for Liverpool

The 16-year-old’s performance was indeed a major plus for Liverpool, with the teenager doing brilliantly to bamboozle Fikayo Tomori in the lead-up to Dominik Szoboszlai’s first-half equaliser.

Along with passing the eye test in Hong Kong, Ngumoha also stood out with his statistics from his 45 minutes on the pitch. As per Sofascore (and also higlighted by Bocsak), the forward won four duels, landed one shot on target, completed three of his four dribbles, recorded two key passes and won one tackle against Milan.

Given his tender age, the youngster won’t be overloaded with first-team football during the 2025/26 season, but his performances this month could well convince Slot to hand him a few senior opportunities throughout the campaign.

On a frustrating night for Liverpool in the Far East, the outstanding talent in the number 73 shirt will have fans clamouring to see plenty more of him in the coming weeks and months.

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