Liverpool wonderkid Rio Ngumoha called up to England's World Cup reserve squad..

Liverpool announced on their official website on Saturday that forward wonderkid Rio Ngumoha has been called up to England's World Cup reserve squad.

According to Liverpool's official statement, Ngumoha will join the 26-man squad confirmed for the World Cup as a reserve player and will actively participate in the national team's training and preparation programs.

The Liverpool ECHO added that even if he is unable to play, Ngumoha will remain with the team during the World Cup to better prepare him for the demands and mental challenges of becoming a regular member of the senior national team in the future. This can be interpreted as the English Football Association having high hopes for him and investing heavily in his development.

The report also noted that in addition to Ngumoha, England manager Thomas Tuchel has called up two other young players to the reserve squad.

They are Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Fulham wonderkid Josh King.

It is reported that Alex Scott was originally on Tuchel's initial 55-man preliminary squad shortlist, but even though he was ultimately excluded from the final 26-man squad, his individual performances impressed Tuchel, and he was thus selected as one of the reserve players.

Meanwhile, Brighton veteran Jason Steele has also called-up as one of the reserve goalkeepers.

It is worth mentioning that with this call-up, Ngumoha broke record by becoming the first player since Wayne Rooney to be directly called up to the senior national team, bypassing the U21s level.

About Rio Ngumoha

Ngumoha, who is still only 17, was born on July 21, 2008, in London, England. He primarily plays as a left winger, but can also play right winger or center forward. He holds dual English and Nigerian citizenship.

Ngumoha joined Chelsea's youth academy at a young age and began playing for the Under-18s team in the summer of 2023.

In September of last year, Ngumoha joined Liverpool for a £1 million youth compensation fee.

It is reported that the player chose to join Liverpool due to their willingness to develop young players in recent years and to provide a clear path for them to advance from the youth academy to the first team.

Chelsea was also warned by the English Football Association for their resentment towards Ngumoha's departure from Liverpool and for deliberately blocking scouts from opposing clubs.

In the 2025/26 season, he came on as a substitute in the away game against Newcastle United and scored the winning goal in stoppage time to help the Reds secure a last-minute victory. He also scored the first goal of the match against Fulham, drawing widespread praise.

Since joining the Reds, Ngumoha has made 29 appearances for the Premier League giants in all competitions so far, scoring once, where he has broke the record by becoming the youngest player in Liverpool's history to appear in both the FA Cup and European competitions, as well as becoming the club's youngest goalscorer.

Image source: Internet / Liverpool Echo