Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha says he “never looked back” after first being named in the club’s senior squad for pre-season before the 2025-26 campaign.
Ngumoha had become the youngest player in the club’s history to start a first-team match when he made his debut as a 16-year-old in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley the previous season, and further impressed Arne Slot during the tour of Hong Kong and Japan.
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The winger then marked his Premier League debut by scoring a stunning late winner in the Reds’ dramatic 3-2 win away at Newcastle in their second game of the campaign.
What followed was a breakout season for Nguomha, who made 31 appearances and was handed his England senior debut in a friendly against New Zealand after being named in Thomas Tuchel’s preparation camp for this summer’s World Cup.
“I can’t put it into words, especially since last year,” the 18-year-old said after being named in Tuchel’s latest Three Lions squad for the upcoming Nations League matches.
“I started with the first team properly in pre-season last season and I never looked back really. [I] just kept on going and going, trying to prove to myself and to everyone what I could do.
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“I think I showed that, so far, it’s been quick, but I think it’s been good. I have been enjoying it.”
Despite his meteoric rise, Ngumoha says he is taking it all in his stride.
When asked if he would have believed his progress if someone had told him what would happen last August, he added: “Yes, definitely I would have, because like I say, I am a big believer in that you have to say what you want to achieve.
“Manifest it, even though it might sound crazy to another person, it can happen in life. Life can just be like that, so fast.
“So, I did believe it would happen.”
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