Liverpool got their title defence underway with a win but it was far from convincing to say the least.

The Reds have entered their biggest season for quite some time, with expectations higher than ever due to the signings they have brought in.

After spending close to £300m, many Liverpool supporters may have thought they would beat a weakened Bournemouth side rather comfortably, but this was far from the case.

After letting a two-goal lead slip, the Reds managed to recover late on courtesy of strikes from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah, with this a huge let-off for Arne Slot’s side.

Alisson sounds Liverpool reality check with timely reminder of 'big challenge' awaiting Arne Slot	Liverpool 0-0 Bournemouth LIVE: Senesi avoids red card after VAR check as Slot left raging in Premier League opener	Liverpool 0-0 Bournemouth LIVE: Slot left raging in Premier League opener as Senesi avoids red card after VAR check

However, the Dutchman’s substitutions were something that raised a few eyebrows, with the Liverpool boss opting against bringing on Rio Ngumoha, perhaps sending the 16-year-old a reality check.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Throughout pre-season, Slot has been able to assess his options and work out which players deserve to go straight into the starting XI and which ones will get some minutes off the bench.

One player who certainly caught his eye was 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, with the winger’s performances suggesting he will get some minutes this season.

With that said, though, Slot did not bring him on in their opening game of the season despite Cody Gakpo running out of steam towards the end.

MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES

The 26-year-old was dangerous for large parts and scored an excellent goal, but looked tired as the game was reaching its climax, with this usually being where Slot would decide to take him off, last season for Luis Diaz and vice versa.

READ MORE: Anthony Gordon predicts something ‘wild’ will happen when Newcastle play Liverpool next week

However, with the Colombian gone, Ngumoha was the only real option, but Slot decided against subbing him on and gave the full 90 minutes to the Dutchman instead.

Although Slot clearly made the right decision by making a substitution elsewhere and bringing on Chiesa, Ngumoha may have been handed a reality check as Slot’s choice suggests he might not be given as many minutes as first thought.

Granted, the game was very competitive so bringing on a 16-year-old would have been a bold and risky move, but the fresh legs of Ngumoha against a tiring defence might have been a smart choice.

Captain Virgil van Dijk labelled him as ‘special’ and believes that the sky is the limit for the young man, suggesting that this is not something for him to worry about, but it might imply that he is not fully trusted just yet.

The priority in attack right now appears to be Alexander Isak, but if that fails to come to fruition, a new winger could be another option.

And, if Slot believes Ngumoha needs his minutes managed very carefully and is not quite ready to be the Gakpo replacement, he might just ask the board to buy him a new left winger instead.

If he was to bring in someone, though, he would want a fairly experienced option who also still has time on his side to progress, making Lyon’s Malick Fofana the perfect option.

The 20-year-old has played over 120 times in his career, with more than 60 of these coming for the French side, and also has experience in both the Conference and Europa League.

His next aim is playing in the Champions League, something Liverpool can offer him, and with Fofana hinting at a departure, he might just be the perfect option.


For more news relating to Newcastle United, visit our sister site NUFC Latest Live.