Barnes urges England to leave Ngumoha alone after impressive Three Lions debut

John Barnes has urged England to stop rushing Rio Ngumoha into the international spotlight, warning that piling pressure on the Liverpool teenager too soon risks stunting his development.

Ngumoha came off the bench in England’s win over New Zealand at the weekend and was named Player of the Match on his international debut — a performance that drew widespread praise, including from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who said: “He was quality, nothing fazed him. He’s had a really good season at Liverpool and the manager gave him his debut and he showed how good he is.”

Despite the fanfare, Barnes was unequivocal in his assessment. Speaking on talkSport, the Liverpool great said: “Leave him alone and let him develop. Theo Walcott went to the World Cup at 16, and if you want him to progress you can’t over-emphasise his importance. He’s not even playing for Liverpool — he’s a sub for Liverpool — so until he gets into the team consistently and plays well, don’t put the pressure on him.”

Barnes also pointed to the potential psychological cost of early overexposure, noting that Ngumoha’s limited role in a struggling Liverpool side last season may have actually protected him. “That’s why I’m glad he didn’t play a lot last year in a Liverpool team that was struggling, because if they’re not doing well and he suffers because of confidence, it could affect him,” he added.

Ngumoha made just nine starts from 29 appearances for Liverpool last season, though he quickly became a crowd favourite — manager Arne Slot was notably booed when he substituted the teenager against Chelsea.

Barnes extended his argument to Arsenal’s Max Dowman, saying: “I hope Arsenal do the same with Max Dowman — just leave them alone. If you’re not playing for Arsenal or Liverpool regularly, why are you going to be playing for England?”

Ngumoha was included in Thomas Tuchel’s extended warm-up squad but was not named in the provisional 55-man list submitted to FIFA for the World Cup. Under tournament regulations, late injury replacements must come from that initial list, meaning Ngumoha cannot be added to the squad under any circumstances, regardless of what injuries England might suffer before or during the tournament.

England’s wide options currently include Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, and Eberechi Eze, leaving Ngumoha with no route into the World Cup picture this summer — a situation Barnes appears entirely comfortable with.