16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who lit up Japan with a dazzling solo goal.
On the same day Luis Díaz sealed his exit, Ngumoha—brought in from Chelsea’s academy—stood out in a 3-1 comeback win over Yokohama F. Marinos.
Florian Wirtz, Liverpool’s £116m acquisition from Bayer Leverkusen, also opened his account for the club in what proved to be a solid outing on a less-than-ideal pitch.
His strike cancelled out Asahi Uenaka’s 55th-minute goal before teenagers Trey Nyoni and Ngumoha sealed the victory in a lively second half.
Ngumoha has made the most of his pre-season minutes, staking a claim for senior involvement this term.
With Cody Gakpo available on the left and £79m signing Hugo Ekitike potentially filling in until Alexander Isak arrives to lead the line, competition is fierce.
Still, Ngumoha is viewed as one of England’s brightest young stars, and Slot will need to carefully manage the rising expectations surrounding the gifted winger.
“He wasn’t the only one that impacted the game from the bench because Trey Nyoni, also a youngster, scored [and was] assisted by Jeremie Frimpong,” said the Reds boss. “In the first goal, I think Curtis Jones played a big part by winning the ball in the midfield.
“Rio again showed the quality he has and that’s nice for us because we have a lot of very good players. But to get some very good players through the academy is always helpful and always gives energy to a team as well.
“It’s always nice to see young players from 16, 17 or 18 years old already impacting a game. “There was also a moment in the game where he should have squared it to Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] or Curtis.
“So, [there were] also learning parts for him. If you are 16 and you can impact the game like he did, that’s definitely worth a compliment.”
Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes remains focused on securing further additions to the squad, while manager Arne Slot continues to gear up for the upcoming campaign.
The Reds will wrap up their pre-season with a double-header against Athletic Club at Anfield on Monday, August 4.
Following that, Liverpool will take on Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, August 10. Their Premier League title defence officially begins with a home fixture against Bournemouth on Friday, August 15.
Slot added: “There are no moments to enjoy what we did last season. So, our full focus is now on this season and how we, I need to prepare the players for another tough season.
“Because I thought last season was already tough but if you look at what all the Premier League teams are doing, the Premier League is even going to get stronger than last season.”
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