Tuchel hails Gordon's £70m Barcelona move as Ngumoha dazzles on England debut

Thomas Tuchel has described Anthony Gordon’s £70m move to Barcelona as “excellent” news for England, while teenage Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha stole the spotlight on his international debut during a 1-0 friendly victory over New Zealand.

Gordon completed his switch to the Spanish giants ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and Tuchel was enthusiastic about the implications for both player and manager. “It is such a nice trip for me to watch matches,” Tuchel said. “I can fly there and watch him in the Champions League. He will enter one of the biggest clubs in the world and a totally new style of playing football. Of course it is a culture where winning really matters. He wanted a new adventure and I am happy for him.”

The England head coach also addressed the prospect of Gordon and Marcus Rashford potentially becoming Barcelona teammates, with the club reportedly interested in signing the on-loan Manchester United forward. Tuchel pointed to the productive rivalry between Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke at Arsenal and for England as proof that close competition for places can coexist with friendship. “You see it with Noni and Bukayo — it is not impossible,” he said. “Let’s see what Barcelona decides and what Marcus decides. I am not involved in this at the moment but it is a quirk.”

Rashford started against New Zealand before making way for Gordon at half-time, with the pair battling for a starting berth when England face Croatia on June 17.

The bigger talking point from the match, however, was the emergence of Ngumoha. The 17-year-old came on as a second-half substitute and immediately caught the eye, earning a personal tribute from captain Jude Bellingham, who presented him with his debut cap in the dressing room. “Congratulations on an amazing debut,” Bellingham told him. “You’re going to have a really bright future at your club and hopefully with us as well. I know there will be so many more.”

Ngumoha, visibly moved, admitted he was “speechless” after the game. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was equally effusive: “He was quality, nothing fazed him. He’s had a really good season at Liverpool and he showed how good he is.”

Despite the clamour from fans to include Ngumoha in the World Cup squad, his promotion is ruled out under FIFA regulations. The teenager was not named on England’s original 55-player list submitted to FIFA and therefore cannot be added. He is one of four training players — alongside Alex Scott, Josh King and Ethan Nwaneri — who are present in camp but ineligible for selection. Scott was the only one of the four included on the FIFA list but did not feature against New Zealand.