Liverpool starlet Rio Ngumoha reveals key Mohamed Salah advice

Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha has revealed the key advice Mohamed Salah gave him during the Egyptian forward’s final months at Anfield.

Ngumoha, one of the promising young players at Liverpool, described Salah as the teammate he learned the most from and credited the former Reds star with helping him improve his game.

Salah ended his nine-year Liverpool career on June 30 before completing a free transfer to Turkish side Trabzonspor, but he continued to offer guidance to the club’s emerging talents before his departure.

Ngumoha, who has England and Nigeria roots revealed that Salah regularly encouraged him to focus on his attacking numbers, particularly goals and assists, as he looks to progress to the highest level.

“The player I learned the most from was of course Mohamed Salah when he was at Liverpool,” Ngumoha told the Liverpool Echo.

“He taught me a lot, especially recently when he knew he was leaving. He helped me a lot.”

According to the young winger, Salah’s message was simple: talent alone is not enough, and he needed to develop his ability to make a decisive contribution in the final third.

“As he always says about looking at his numbers, he always tells me Rio, you know you’re a good player, but in order to reach the top, you have to focus on goals and assists,” he added.

Salah also reassured Ngumoha that other aspects of his game would develop naturally as he continued to gain experience.

“He told me that these things would come naturally, but he was going through little things like this with me,” Ngumoha explained.

The youngster admitted that receiving personal advice from Salah was initially overwhelming, having grown up watching the Egyptian establish himself as one of Liverpool’s biggest stars.

“When he first started talking to me, I said to myself, ‘Oh my God! I’ve been watching you since I was little, and you’re telling me how to get better? You’re helping and guiding me,’” he said.

However, their relationship eventually developed into one between teammates, with Ngumoha appreciating Salah not only as a world-class player but also as someone willing to help him develop.

“But as time went on, I saw him as a very good teammate and he helped me a lot, so I can thank him much more than that,” he concluded.

Ngumoha will now look to put Salah’s advice into practice as he continues his development at Liverpool, with the young winger aiming to turn his potential into consistent performances and, ultimately, more goals and assists.