Rio Ngumoha's impressive performance against Villarreal indicates he could be the Mohamed Salah replacement Liverpool are seeking. The 18-year-old provided two assists as Andoni Iraola's side came from 2-0 down to win 4-3 in the Champions League at Anfield.
Investment in Attack
Liverpool have spent close to £500million on their frontline over the last two seasons, yet an obvious replacement for Salah on the right flank was not signed. Even Bradley Barcola, the £123m arrival from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, appears more comfortable on the left.
Iraola has deployed Ngumoha on the right despite the youngster being primarily right-footed. He posed a threat both on the outside and inside, and according to Iraola, his ability to shoot and score with his weaker left foot is improving.
Manager's Praise
After Liverpool's third consecutive Champions League victory, Iraola said: "I'm really happy with Rio, not because he played really well, because I think he's trying to improve everything that we try to correct. Attitude wise, he's ready now.
"We've changed a little bit. He's playing a lot more on the right, he was very used to playing on the left and he has adapted very, very well. He hasn't lost the threat of going one vs one, getting inside the box, even finishing with the left foot."
"We encourage him always, because I think he's good also there. Even defensively, he struggled a little bit in the first-half, but second-half was much better and he's becoming a more complete player. Still 18, don't forget he's still 18. But level-wise I think he's facing very good opposition and he's doing very well."
Key Difference from Salah
One area where Ngumoha does not yet match Salah is goals. He is yet to score this season, and his two assists against Villarreal were his first goal contributions of the campaign. Salah, by contrast, contributed 257 goals and 123 assists in 442 appearances for Liverpool, becoming the club's third all-time top scorer behind Roger Hunt (285) and Ian Rush (346).
Nevertheless, Ngumoha has started just one of Liverpool's seven Premier League matches, indicating he has yet to earn Iraola's complete trust. After receiving the Player of the Match award, he said: "I think it's helped me a lot in training. The gaffer, all the coaching staff, all the players believe in me and slowly, slowly I'm getting better on the right."
