Liverpool's 16-year-old matchwinning sensation Rio Ngumoha could have joined Manchester United if things had played out differently, it has emerged.
The wonderkid came off the bench to score a last-gasp winning goal in a thrilling 3-2 win over Newcastle United, who had Anthony Gordon sent off at the end of the first half for a poor challenge on Virgil van Dijk.
Although not at their best, Liverpool found themselves 2-0 up courtesy of goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike but a spirited Newcastle fought back and pulled level with goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Will Osula.
But 10-man Newcastle were undone at the death, conceding in the 10th minute of added time when Ngumoha popped up with a clinical finish to snatch victory for the Premier League champions.
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The young winger had only came on a substitute alongside Harvey Elliott minutes earlier and after replacing Cody Gakpo, became the fourth-youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.
Ngumoha's excellent displays in pre-season played a part in Liverpool's decision to offload Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez and he contributed in a huge way on his Premier League debut on Monday night.
He joined in 2024 after spending his early academy years at Chelsea, with Blues legend John Terry commenting that Ngumoha “is and will be a top, top player”.
Prior to joining Chelsea, Ngumoha spent time in the academies of Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester City from a young age.
Then, when he was moving on from the west London, he visited Manchester United and heard what the 13-time Premier League champions had to say in terms of their plans for him.
The Athletic say that United were "pushing hard" to sign Ngumoha but acknowledged that they were behind Liverpool in the race to sign him, ultimately conceding defeat.
Arne Slot comments on Rio Ngumoha performance
Their loss was Liverpool's gain and Ngumoha made his Liverpool debut as a starter in a 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley last season.
That was his only appearance but Ngumoha looks set to feature more prominently this time around following his St James' Park heroics.
After the win, Arne Slot hailed Ngumoha's qualities and his fearless mentality for someone who isn't 17 until the end of the week.
"He’s a player that can finish really well for his age,” Slot said.
"How firm his shot was, you don’t see this often for a 16-year-old.
“I did hear someone afterwards in the dressing room, I won’t say who, said they would have taken that ball, have a first touch, then finish it off. But he is so confident.
“That’s what I like, because the first ball he got he wasn’t afraid. He immediately took someone on. When the second player came, he got across him, and for him to score that goal is not completely a coincidence because for his age he is an amazing finisher.”
Topics: Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United
Josh Lawless