Sacked Slot's parting prediction on Ngumoha proved right as teenager shines for Liverpool and England

Arne Slot was sacked as Liverpool manager at the end of last season after the club failed to defend their 2025 Premier League title, with Andoni Iraola appointed as his successor. Yet one of Slot’s final acts — handing teenage winger Rio Ngumoha a pathway into the first team — is already looking like a lasting contribution to the club’s future.

Ngumoha, who turned 17 shortly after the campaign began, made an immediate impression by scoring a dramatic winner against Newcastle United in August. He added a second Premier League goal against Fulham in April, coming in only his second league start, and finished the season with 29 appearances across all competitions.

Slot had spoken with conviction about the teenager’s trajectory. Asked whether the Fulham goal offered a glimpse into Liverpool’s future, the Dutchman replied: “Yeah, but not only the long future, also the near future. I think I’ve said a few weeks, maybe months ago, that his playing time would increase because he got stronger and stronger, showed more and more when he came in, but also in training sessions, that it wasn’t only a nice trick, but there was more and more end product to what he did.”

Slot also highlighted what he saw as a rare and increasingly scarce quality in the modern game. “He has such a special quality which you don’t see a lot in football anymore: dominating the one-v-one situation,” he said. “And that’s exactly what he did when he scored his goal, making the ball free by twisting and turning and then hitting it in like a Mo Salah finish, I would say.”

For Slot himself, the season ended in disappointment. Liverpool fell out of the title race early and, despite securing Champions League qualification, the club decided to part ways with the coach. In an open letter to supporters, Slot acknowledged the club’s standards: “This club will always judge itself by the biggest honours. That is how it should be.”

Ngumoha’s breakthrough has since extended to the international stage. Although not included in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, he made his senior England debut in a 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand, playing on the right flank — the opposite side to his usual position at Liverpool — and was named player of the match. He received his first England cap from Jude Bellingham, who spoke positively about the teenager’s display.

Reports have suggested Bayern Munich are monitoring Ngumoha’s progress, though Liverpool are not expected to entertain offers for a player Slot himself identified as central to the club’s near-term ambitions.