Liverpool set to make wonderkid Rio Ngumoha sign genius 'car clause' next month that senior players don't have

Liverpool are set to make wonderkid Rio Ngumoha sign a car clause if he signs his first professional contract with the club when he turns 17.

Ngumoha, a winger or attacking midfielder, became Liverpool's youngest-ever first team player last season.

Aged 16 years and 135 days, he started the Reds' FA Cup third-round clash against Accrington Stanley in January.

He has been training semi-regularly with Liverpool's first team since October 2024, with Anfield Watch reporting that he had been 'terrorising' senior players.

It was added that manager Arne Slot and Liverpool coaches have been 'mesmerised' by the young talent.

Journalist David Lynch claims that it is 'very, very likely' that Ngumoha will sign professional terms once he becomes 17 next month.

Should he do so, the former Chelsea starlet will hope to earn even more first team opportunities this season.

He started Saturday's pre-season friendly against Championship side Preston North End in the absence of several senior players.

Regardless of what game time he will receive, Ngumoha will almost certainly have to agree to a special 'car clause' that all young Liverpool stars must adhere to.

All players who represent the club's academy - Ngumoha will continue playing for the side despite his first team opportunities - must sign the clause, which is designed to essentially keep players grounded as they go up the age groups.

There are no strict requirements relating to the type of car, though Liverpool academy staff will 'approve' the car based on a number of different factors and decide whether it can be parked in the club's car park.

Speaking in 2023, Liverpool academy manager Alex Inglethorpe explained the thinking behind the clause.

He told Robbie Fowler on the 'We are Liverpool' podcast: "What you don't want is them driving in with a Range Rover.

"The reason you don't want them driving in something which is too big, too grand, too much of a statement is because it is not just the manager and the staff that might have an opinion on you, it's also the senior players.

"If you think about James Milner, Jordan Henderson or Andy Robertson, the first cars they drove there would have been an element of humility to that.

"One, you can't get into a race you're never going to win. And I don't mean with the car, I mean just in terms of life.

"There's something about deferred gratification rather than instant. I think you should have to earn it a little bit.

"The players know full well, if I don't approve of their car they can go and park it in the David Lloyd, but it won't be in the academy.

"I don't want to be an idiot about it. I just don't want them to have worked 10 years for an audition and fail before they've even stepped foot on the pitches."