Can Ngumoha's X Factor Inspire Liverpool's Comeback Against PSG?

Liverpool's £440m summer splurge has yet to yield the desired results, but a 17-year-old academy product has breathed new life into their flagging season. The question on everyone's mind is whether this teenage sensation can be the catalyst for a remarkable Anfield comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. With coach Arne Slot's future hanging in the balance, Ngumoha's impressive display against Fulham has given him a selection headache. Ngumoha, who became Liverpool's youngest Premier League goalscorer at Anfield, was instrumental in a performance that has rekindled hope in their bid to secure a Champions League spot for next season. Liverpool have tightened their grip on fifth place, which would be enough to secure a spot in next season's competition. However, despite his stellar showing in only his second Premier League start, Jamie Redknapp believes Ngumoha might be better utilized as an impact player off the bench against PSG. "If Slot did start him, I wouldn't be surprised," Redknapp said. "I just think right now, when I'm trying to pick Liverpool's best team for a huge game, I like the midfield he ended up with against Fulham, with [Alexis] Mac Allister, [Ryan] Gravenberch, and [Dominik] Szoboszlai. I think that's a midfield that's got a bit of everything. That was the midfield that pretty much won the league last year for Liverpool. If [Hugo] Ekitike starts at No 9, then you might need [Florian] Wirtz on the left-hand side, and then obviously [Mohamed] Salah, who did really well on that right side. That feels like it has a nice shape to it. Obviously reminiscent of last year. You've got [Alexander] Isak to come off the bench if you need him, and then you've got Rio to come off the bench and give you a bit of X factor. If you can stay in the game, you've not got to win the game in the first 20 minutes, but you can certainly lose it. It might be one where you get those two players on towards the end. That might just be able to nick you a goal, lift the crowd. I guarantee he will get some really valuable minutes in that game. But delighted for him, he couldn't have done any more, certainly, to push himself for a start. So if he did, I wouldn't be surprised either." Redknapp also shared some insight into Ngumoha's rise to prominence after leaving Chelsea. Ngumoha was at Chelsea at the same time as Redknapp's son, Beau Redknapp, before joining Liverpool in 2024. "The potential was so obvious," Redknapp revealed. "Everybody could see it. He just had sort of a natural X factor. He was at Chelsea at the same time as my youngest son, and they used to train together in the same group. It was quite staggering to see. His brother, who played a big part in his career, certainly his development. He used to do a lot of one-on-one coaching with him, and he came over to my house a few times, and I just watched how he worked with Rio. I've never seen a kid with such fast feet, but it was repetition after repetition. We speak so much now about a lot of these, a lot of these players don't just perhaps get enough training at their own clubs. They do it with one-on-one coaches, and there's probably nobody better, or nobody knows him better than his older brother. So they worked extremely well together. For anyone who doesn't know his sort of journey. He was one of the very highly regarded players at Chelsea. They loved him. Wanted to keep him. Liverpool came in. He left at 16 years of age to go up there, and it must have been really hard for him. It probably took a little while to settle. His first year in the academy didn't go perhaps, to help like to plan. This year, he sort of forced his way in with the first team squad. And now you can see it, the goal against Newcastle, the goal against Fulham, he's thriving. He's enjoying it, and it is a great environment. It's a tough environment. I did it myself as a 17-year-old when I signed for Liverpool, and I'm thankful for every day that I did it. He's doing extremely well. He's got to keep his head on his shoulders and keep working hard. He's got great experienced players like Andy Robertson around him. So I'm delighted. He's a really good young man, and it's amazing to see him. I've known him since he was seven.