Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha has been left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the Nations League clash with Spain at Wembley. UEFA regulations limit matchday squads to 23 players, and with 24 players available, the German coach had to omit one from his plans to face the World Cup winners.
The revised squad was confirmed on Saturday morning, with the 18-year-old winger the player to miss out. Ngumoha made a strong impression with England since his senior debut during the pre-World Cup warm-up friendlies in Florida, before being swiftly promoted to the senior setup for the Nations League campaign.
Ngumoha's fearless approach
Earlier this week, the youngster described himself as "fearless" and expressed his desire to be part of England's future success. Speaking to talkSPORT, Ngumoha said: "I don't even know what to say about the manager, Thomas. He's really helpful and I think him picking me shows his belief in me and how exciting and explosive he thinks I am."
"All I can do now is just show him again why I should be here for the many more camps and why he thinks I should be a big part of the team and help the team," he added. "I'd say I'm fearless. I like to take on players, whether it's one-v-ones, sometimes two-v-ones as well. But also, I want to help the team out with goals and assists because at the end of the day, it's not just about me and the team."
More chances to impress
The youngster will have three more opportunities to earn his place on the international stage. England have two games against Czechia and one against Croatia in addition to Saturday's clash with Spain. Tuchel is expected to rotate and make full use of his squad in the coming weeks.
Ngumoha is adamant he can prove himself during the international camp. "I've just got to come here and show what I can do to everyone and just make sure everyone just understands who I am," he added. "I'm not here just to be like a side part - I want to be a mainstay in the team and hopefully I can stay. But there's good competition everywhere. So it's about competing with the best players in the world now."
