Gerrard Backs Ngumoha for Friday, But Liverpool Set to Loan Out Talented Winger This Summer

Steve Gerrard has made an impassioned case for Rio Ngumoha to finally get his chance in Liverpool's starting XI, yet the club's hierarchy appear ready to move the promising winger elsewhere come summer.

Gerrard took aim at Cody Gakpo's performance following Liverpool's shock 2-1 capitulation to Wolves, insisting that Ngumoha—who has repeatedly made an impact from the bench—deserves a proper run in the side. The former Chelsea talent has been the bright spark in what has been a forgettable campaign for the Reds, yet Slot has remained reluctant to thrust him into the spotlight.

"For 65 minutes Liverpool were desperate tonight, really poor, didn't create enough, didn't play at the right speed or the right tempo, didn't have enough quality," Gerrard told TNT Sports.

"He has to start Ngumoha now. He has to start him because he's coming on and he's doing more in a short cameo in a short space of time than Gakpo's doing in 65, 70 minutes. He deserves to start now. He's got to start the kid on Friday night in the FA Cup."

Yet despite Gerrard's intervention, Football Insider reports that Liverpool have signalled their willingness to accept a loan offer for Ngumoha when the transfer window reopens. Former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown has outlined two key reasons behind the likely departure.

The first centres on game time. Ngumoha simply won't develop as a player if he continues to collect scraps of football off the bench, and a loan spell would provide the consistent minutes he needs to mature at this level. The second factor is Liverpool's own transfer ambitions—the club are expected to bring in a fresh winger, which would leave Ngumoha even further down the pecking order.

"Ngumoha is obviously a very talented player," Brown explained. "Liverpool rate him very highly, they've got high hopes for his future and see him as being one of their star players over the next ten years or more.

"The problem is, the only way he can develop and improve is if he's playing regular football, and it doesn't look like he's going to get that under Slot at the moment. Just playing 10, 15, 20 minutes here and there isn't enough, he needs to be starting games, getting used to the pace, and learning how to perform at this level.

"I think there's a good chance they could let him go out on loan next season just to get that playing time. A lot of Premier League clubs could benefit from having a player like him, and he would benefit from making that step and playing every week. Then, long-term, he can return to the Liverpool team as a better and more experienced player.

"If the manager has doubts about trusting him or whatever it is at the moment, it could be a good way to get around that without it impacting his development. Plus, if they go out and bring a new winger in it's going to push him even further away from the starting XI. If that happens, I'm sure he will be allowed to go on loan."