'I think': Gary Lineker says 'very exciting' Liverpool player should not compete at 2026 World Cup

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Rio Ngumoha is one of the biggest prospects in English football and has quickly cemented himself as a key fixture in Liverpool’s squad.Curtis Jones said the academy product is one of the top three rising stars in football right now, along with another Reds player.Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand has also backed Ngumoha to become an elite Premier League player.But despite his rapid rise at Anfield, the 2026 World Cup is expected to come too soon for the winger, in the eyes of Gary Lineker. With Arne Slot expected to stay, will Liverpool challenge for the Premier League next season?

Or will it be another difficult campaign? 😬 Photo Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine 2026 World Cup comes too soon for Rio NgumohaNgumoha has made 26 senior appearances for the Merseyside club, scoring two goals.But it is only in the last couple of months that Slot has really begun to hand the 17-year-old starts, including in the win over Fulham, in which he scored.In turn, it is perhaps not surprising to see Lineker saying that this summer’s World Cup should not see the Liverpool gem competing for England.Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast this week alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, the former striker was discussing the youngster, who he had very high praise for, when he ruled out a trip to North America.Lineker said: “I mean, that’s quite a big shout. He’s only just broken into the Liverpool team, but he’s very exciting, he is a talent, but yeah, it’s just come a bit too soon for him, I think.”To date, Ngumoha has played 11 games for England’s U19s, scoring one goal.He is yet to feature at U21 level despite impressing for Liverpool, but manager Lee Carsley still thinks he’s a top talent.

What’s your score prediction for Liverpool vs Crystal Palace? 🔮 A tough game for the Reds in recent times…Credit: Dan Istitene/Getty Images Speaking at the back end of March, the Young Lions’ coach said: I think one of the key things is these players, they play a lot of minutes at their clubs and they’re playing week in, week out. I think it’s important that we don’t fast track people too quickly.“Max is an outstanding talent as is Rio [Ngumoha] and we’re very lucky that we’ve got quite a few players like that of that level that are outstanding talents.”England’s U21s return to action in September 2026, and it will be interesting to see if Carsley hands Ngumoha some game time.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox