'One of the best young players': Liverpool told they have a 'world-class' prospect who could soon make his debut
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Liverpool have seen the emergence of one of Europe’s brightest young talents so far this season in flying winger Rio Ngumoha.
Ngumoha has been thrust into the first-team picture by Arne Slot and already has three appearances to his name this campaign.
While the future looks exceptionally bright for Ngumoha, he is not the only big prospect within the Liverpool squad.
Slot has famously held off on chucking youngsters in with the senior players, with Ngumoha as the exception, and that is exactly what he has done with new centre-back Giovanni Leoni.
Reports have suggested that Leoni is set to make his Liverpool debut next week in the Carabao Cup against Southampton, and supporters are getting desperate to see why the Reds paid around £26m to sign him this summer.
Although they would perhaps like to have seen Leoni in action sooner than the back end of September, they have now been told that he is likely to be worth the wait.
Photo by Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The fact that he is yet to play for Liverpool is unlikely to have come as a surprise to Leoni.
With Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez ahead of him, he was never going to come straight into the XI.
Bedding the 18-year-old in away from the spotlight is probably a better introduction for Leoni anyway, as he acclimatises to a brand new country.
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But according to Parma legend Alessandro Lucarelli, the defender could end up being the best defender on the planet in the fullness of time.
“Leoni, the best defender in the world?
Looking ahead, he might be,” Lucarelli told Goal Italy via Forza Parma.
“Being the best defender in the world is tough.
“Time is on his side; he’s very young and can still improve,” added the former centre-back.
“Even at this age, he’s shown he’s one of the best young players in Europe; otherwise, Liverpool wouldn’t have signed him.”
By the time Leoni finally plays for Liverpool – and by all accounts that is likely to be this coming Tuesday – he should have more or less fully settled into the club.
There has been an international break in between, but the teenager has now had more than one month to get used to being a Liverpool player.
Still so young, supporters may not see these ‘world-class’ qualities immediately from Leoni, but it is clear that there is plenty of expectation around him.
Playing against a Championship side at Anfield should be a nice, gentle introduction to life at Liverpool for him, and he is likely to be helped by having the experience of Gomez alongside him.
From there, it remains to be seen exactly how much Leoni will be used in his debut season away from Italy.
But fast forward the clock three or four years, and it sounds like Liverpool could have a regular starter on their hands.