John Terry made his feelings clear on Rio Ngumoha leaving Chelsea for rivals Liverpool

John Terry has spoken out about Chelsea wonderkid Rio Ngumoha leaving the club to join rivals Liverpool.

On Wednesday afternoon, Liverpool finished their international pre-season tour with a 3-1 win over Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos at the Nissan Stadium.

New signings Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez were all involved in the match, giving fans an insight into what they can expect ahead of next season.

However, it wasn't just the new signings that caught the eye of Liverpool fans during the match, as 16-year-old star Ngumoha once again stood out with an impressive performance, scoring Liverpool's third goal.

In the wake of the match, comments from Chelsea legend Terry about the youngster have resurfaced online, and it reveals just how good he could be.

Rio Ngumoha has impressed during Liverpool's pre-season. (Image: Getty)

After coming through Chelsea's academy, Ngumoha joined the Reds last summer.

Having impressed during appearances for the U-18 side, the 16-year-old received his first call up to a Liverpool first-team squad in December 2024, featuring on the bench for an EFL Cup tie with Southampton.

And while Liverpool fans are only now just realising just how good Ngumoha really is, Terry predicted his rise back when the move away from Chelsea was first announced.

Commenting on transfer expert Fabrizio Romano's post confirming Liverpool had signed Ngumoha, the former England captain wrote: "This boy is and will be a top player."

As an academy coach, Terry previously worked closely with Ngumoha during his time at Chelsea and therefore it comes as no surprise that he was well aware of the youngster's talents.

Ngumoha signed for Liverpool last year. (Image: Getty)

Less than a year later, Ngumoha appears to have already proven Terry right, scoring two goals and assisting one across Liverpool's four pre-season games.

With the youngster turning 17 in September, it appears almost certain that he will be rewarded for this impressive form with his first professional contract, likely keeping him at Anfield for another three years.

Following the departure of Liverpool star Luis Diaz, who left to join Bayern Munich for a reported fee of £65.5m deal, including add-ons. it is expected that Ngumoha will much more involved with the first-team next season.