Robbie Fowler heaped praise on the young prospect after he played in an unfamiliar position against Wrexham.

Andoni Iraola's first preseason with Liverpool continued its perfect start. They defeated "Hollywood darlings" Wrexham 1-0 at Yankee Stadium in New York.

The Welsh club is backed by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. Since the entertainment duo acquired the club in 2020, thanks to the hit documentary "Welcome to Wrexham," the team has rapidly climbed from the lower leagues and become a household name.

The Red Dragons had already beaten Manchester United and Leeds United in preseason, and they deserved their high-profile popularity in this match as well. They went head-to-head with the Reds in the Big Apple, but even cinematic magic wasn't enough to help them defeat a Premier League team for the third time this month.

Ultimately, Liverpool had the last laugh. 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha's deflected goal in the 75th minute helped Iraola's team win a match that was not easy and never fully under their control.

After coming on as a substitute in the second half, Ngumoha was deployed on the unfamiliar right flank. By his standards, it was an average performance, but he still stepped up at a crucial moment – after a proactive run into the Wrexham box, his shot deflected off Lewis Burnt and into the net.

Iraola playing Ngumoha on the right and 19-year-old Kieran Morrison on the left, despite both being more accustomed to the opposite flank, perhaps indicates that the Basque coach desires greater flexibility from his wide players. However, combined with Wednesday's news, this arrangement is particularly noteworthy: Liverpool is preparing a bid for Paris Saint-Germain left-winger Barcola.

The topic of Ngumoha switching sides isn't accepted by everyone. Jamie Carragher replied to Sky Sports on social media, questioning why Liverpool was targeting Barcola instead of a more established right winger. When another user commented, "Ngumoha can play that position," he replied, "Rio has always played on the left, so that's clearly his best position."

However, Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler was very pleased with Ngumoha's performance. The former striker, who burst into the first team at 18, also believes that playing the young player on the right could benefit Liverpool's forwards more.

After the match, Fowler said on the "Liverpool Official Podcast": "Well, Ngumoha is impressive, isn't he? That's why I asked him how the coach wanted him to play."

"Because I felt that last season, when Liverpool's wingers cut inside, their play might have been a bit too predictable. But a player like him can play on both sides."

"So I'd love to see if the coach wants him to play in that direction, because it's obviously more beneficial for the strikers, whether it's Viktor Hugo Ekitiké, [Alexander] Isaac, or whoever ends up playing there, I think that's what Liverpool needs."

"He has that ability. You'd say some players can make you jump out of your seat – he might be the most exciting player in this team because of the way he attacks opponents. He's very, very clever."

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Earlier this summer, Liverpool was also tracking teenage Ivorian winger Jan Diomande – another right-footed attacking player who primarily operates on the right wing – but he now appears set to join Real Madrid. Previously, in this long-running saga, it was widely believed that Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain had the upper hand.

Another guest on the podcast was Liverpool legend Phil Thompson, who offered Ngumoha some advice to help him take his game to the next level.

Thompson said: "Even if it's just a friendly, a preseason game, did you see them dropping back behind him, giving him respect? He's earned that."

"But you have to find a way to break through that. A lot of the details are like that. The final pass – he's still young after all. My biggest advice to him would be: keep your head up as much as possible when you have the ball, try to find that pass, that killer pass, and add it to your arsenal. Because he's truly impressive."

Ngumoha had a breakthrough season under Arne Slot last season, but the Dutch coach also carefully managed his playing time, allowing his body to gradually adapt to the intensity of senior football.

This meant that despite fans wanting him to start more, he only got 9 starts in all competitions. Therefore, Fowler believes the most important thing moving forward is to increase his playing time.

Fowler said: "That's why I wanted him to tell us how many minutes he played. Because there were times last year when his fitness might not have been at the level it should have been – that sounds bad when I say it – but he wasn't strong enough to play 90 minutes yet."

"But he is definitely impressive, and perhaps when the opponents' fitness drops, you want him to start making an impact then, so he can disrupt the opponent to a greater extent."

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