Arne Slot’s Rio Ngumoha Admission Is Bad News for Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian star continues to look like a shell of his former self.

Rio Ngumoha (left) poses a threat to Mohamed Salah. | Michael Regan/UEFA/Getty Images, Liverpool FC/Getty Images

While Mohamed Salah came under fire for another underwhelming outing in Liverpool’s last-gasp victory over Nottingham Forest, teenage standout Rio Ngumoha earned high praise from manager Arne Slot, setting the stage for a potential battle coming in the near future.

The 17-year-old replaced Salah at the City Ground on Sunday and instantly infused some much-needed life into the Reds’ whimpering attack. Ngumoha was at the centre of the action in what looked to be Liverpool’s breakthrough in the 89th minute, only for Alexis Mac Allister’s effort to be wiped away for handball.

The Argentine still went on to play hero in stoppage time, rescuing three points for the defending English champions in a game they scarcely deserved to win. Even with such late drama, Ngumoha’s impressive cameo stole the show, especially for Slot.

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Slot: Ngumoha’s Progress Opens the Door for More Minutes

Arne Slot heaped praise on Rio Ngumoha. | James Holyoak/MB Media/Getty Images

It only took Ngumoha 12 minutes on the pitch to engineer the best chance of the game for Liverpool, and the action came down Salah’s right flank. The Englishman drove right at Forest left back Neco Williams, dazzled him with a few stepovers and then sent a pinpoint cross right onto the head of Hugo Ekitiké.

In the end, the effort did not get the visitors on the scoresheet, but it still grabbed the attention of Slot.

“He has incredible potential, otherwise, at 17 years of age, you don’t play as many minutes as he does in the Premier League, let alone at Liverpool,” the Dutchman said after the game. “I don’t think there is any other 17-year-old who has played as many minutes in the Premier League as he did.

“That tells you how much of a talent he is and we think he is. He is making progress more and more and that’s why you see him playing more and more.”

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Rio Ngumoha – Stats Snapshot in 2025–26

• Appearances: 15
• Goals: 1
• Assists: 0
• Premier League Minutes: 89
• Minutes Across All Competitions: 375

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Ngumoha has made 15 appearances for Liverpool this season, and nine have come in the English top flight. The winger announced his presence by scoring the match-winner in Liverpool’s frenzied 3–2 victory over Newcastle United in August, becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer in club history.

Opportunities in the Premier League have been inconsistent for Ngumoha, but his efforts in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup have done enough to prove his game-changing ability on either wing. When the Reds need a spark, the teenager is the man to bring some energy and much-needed creativity to the front line.

He is by no means the finished product, but Ngumoha is oozing with quality and potential, so much so that he is now a threat to a club legend.

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How Ngumoha’s Rise Can Cause Future Problems for Salah

Mohamed Salah is having a rough go of it in 2025–26. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

It’s been a season to forget for Salah. After a career-defining campaign in 2024–25, the Egyptian star has fallen wildly short of expectations. Coupled with his public falling out with the club and Slot back in December, Salah has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

His play continues to do him no favours, and his performance at the City Ground was just another example of his struggles in 2025–26. In 77 minutes on the pitch, the winger created only one chance and did not manage a single shot, failing to impose himself against a team battling relegation.

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Mohamed Salah – Stats Snapshot in 2025–26

• Appearances: 28
• Goals: 7
• Assists: 8

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In 28 appearances this season, Salah has found the back of the net just seven times—and only four of those goals have come in the Premier League. The 33-year-old’s decline in form previously prompted Slot to drop him to the bench, kickstarting the conflict between the superstar and the manager.

But Slot has not been the only prominent Liverpool voice to question Salah this season. Club legend Jamie Carragher has repeatedly taken aim at the forward, this time with some targeted praise for Ngumoha after Liverpool’s win over Forest.

“Rio Ngumoha came on in the 77th minute [and] he did more in 15 minutes than [Cody] Gakpo and Salah did in the whole game,” Carragher said. “He changed the game this kid. He needs to be starting games now. He’s that good.”

Only time will tell whether Slot pulls the trigger and gives Ngumoha the nod over Salah, but pressure is mounting on the Egypt international, and his past triumphs in a red shirt might not be enough to save him.

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