In the reception of the English football third division club Accrington Stanley in the third round of the FA Cup, coach Arne Slot used the second team to save energy for important pillars.

That has given young talent Ngumoha a place in the starting line-up. The star, born on August 29, 2008, came through the Chelsea academy and joined Liverpool last summer. He has made his mark with four assists in the U18 Premier League and UEFA Youth League this season.

Slot named Ngumoha as a substitute in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Southampton last December, despite not playing.

However, this time, the 16-year-old talent was able to step onto the pitch at Anfield, wearing the number 73 shirt and playing alongside experienced stars such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Ngumoha is a very promising name for Liverpool

Slot believes Ngumoha is ready for a big opportunity in the FA Cup. The Liverpool boss said: “It’s always a special moment when a young player makes his debut, no matter what country you come from. When you’ve been a player, you know what it means.

Ngumoha is still very young, he has only been with us for half a season, mainly training with the U21s but also has had time to train with the first team. He has not hesitated to show his strengths, which is the ability to pass people in one-on-one situations. Hopefully today he can prove that.”

Asked about Ngumoha’s comments about winning the Ballon d’Or, Slot added: “He’s at a club where players can win the Ballon d’Or, so let’s see. But it’s too early to talk about that now.”

Alongside Ngumoha, Harvey Elliott, Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton have also featured for Liverpool. All three are at least five years older than their team-mates. James McConnell (20), Jayden Danns (18) and Trey Nyoni (17) are also hoping to make further first-team appearances.

Central midfielder Nyoni, who joined Liverpool’s academy from Leicester in 2023, became Liverpool’s youngest ever player to appear in the FA Cup when he replaced Elliott against Southampton in the fifth round last season.