Arne Slot has singled out young Liverpool player Rio Ngumoha for praise after his impressive performances during the pre-season tour, but also pointed out areas where the 16-year-old still needs to improve. Ngumoha, who also scored in the pre-season, has caught the eye with his skill and energy.

Liverpool concluded their pre-season tour of Asia with a 3-1 victory over Yokohama Marinos in Japan. After Liverpool fell behind, new signing Florian Wirtz leveled the score with his first Liverpool goal. Youngsters Trey Nyoni and Ngumoha then both found the net to secure the win. Ngumoha's contributions have been particularly noteworthy, especially considering his age.

Slot acknowledged Ngumoha's "quality" and the positive impact that academy players can have on the team. He highlighted the energy and dynamism that young players bring to the squad, noting that it's always encouraging to see such talent emerging from the academy.

Despite the praise, Slot also emphasized the importance of continued development for Ngumoha. Specifically, he mentioned a moment in the game where Ngumoha should have passed the ball to Alexis Mac Allister or Curtis Jones, indicating that decision-making and awareness are areas for improvement. Slot believes that recognizing when to pass to a teammate in a better position is a crucial aspect of Ngumoha's development.

Slot said that Ngumoha showed the quality that he has, which is nice for the team. He added that having very good players from the academy is always helpful and gives energy to the team. Slot feels it is always nice to see young players at 16, 17, or 18 years old already impacting a game.

Ngumoha made his competitive debut for Liverpool in their FA Cup third-round win over Arrington Stanley in January. He scored a great goal against Yokohama, beating two players before finding the bottom corner.

Slot also spoke about the challenge they faced against Yokohama, a team already in the middle of their season and used to the conditions. He said it was a good game against an opponent that is already in the middle of their season and used to the circumstances there. They made it an intense game for Liverpool, which is always nice to have in pre-season. Slot said that this is what they're looking for, they want to face teams that can really compete with them.