Rio Ngumoha cemented his status as one of the game’s best up and coming young players and Jamie Redknapp has compared his impact to that of Arsenal’s Max Dowman.
Ngumoha scored a fine goal to help the Reds see off Fulham. The goal marked another milestone for the teenager, who followed Arsenal’s Dowman in getting on the scoresheet this season.
For Ngumoha, the key now is to get into the team regularly and have an impact, much like Dowman has at Arsenal.
And according to Jamie Redknapp, throwing youngsters in can sometimes be just what’s needed.
Jamie Redknapp compares Rio Ngumoha to Max Dowman
We’ve seen young players emerge for years with little fear. The likes of Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott and more have all burst onto the scene.
For Ngumoha and Dowman, they are doing it at the very highest level under big pressure.
But according to Redknapp, that’s just what some young players need.
“Rio Ngumoha had no fear. He probably doesn’t listen to the noise when things aren’t going well, like some senior players probably do,” Redknapp commented on Sky Sports.
“He really enjoyed this battle with Timothy Castagne. We saw it with Max Dowman and Everton. Young players just need a chance sometimes, they just need to be thrown into the deep end and see how they handle it.
“As long as they have got the quality and personality that Rio certainly has, they can really come of age. Some managers are scared to drop young players in.”
Rio Ngumoha vs Max Dowman this season
At just 16 and 17, Ngumoha and Dowman are two very precious talents indeed. They will need nurturing and given the time to develop but there is no doubting their ability.
In terms of impact this season, both have been given opportunities at their clubs.
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Ngumoha has now made 19 appearances for Liverpool this season, finally getting his first PL goal today.
Dowman, meanwhile, is still on just the nine showings for Arsenal, and he too has a solitary goal.
Interestingly, both players’ dribbling stats are good, with Dowman averaging three successful dribbles a game and Ngumoha averaging 2.6.
England, of course, are the big winners here. Both players will likely sit out this year’s World Cup but come the Euros in 2028, it won’t be a surprise to see both players involved.
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