Arne Slot responds to Jamie Carragher calls for Rio Ngumoha to start with four-word promise

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The teenager has dominated headlines since his game-changing impact against Nottingham Forest, but Arne Slot again insisted a more long-term strategy is in everyone's best interestsArne Slot has said he can see Rio Ngumoha's improvement and insisted he will play for Liverpool going forwardArne Slot has called for calm following the clamor in the last week to see Rio Ngumoha play more regularly for Liverpool.The teenager helped inspire the Reds’ injury-time victory against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with his introduction off the bench proving pivotal in Liverpool’s late surge at the City Ground. Since then, several prominent pundits have called for Ngumoha to feature more regularly, including Jamie Carragher, who said the winger needs to be starting games.But Slot, who has repeatedly insisted that he will prioritize Ngumoha’s long-term development ahead of focusing on his immediate impact, said there needs to be more perspective, adding he is already seeing the benefits of that holistic approach.READ MORE: Cody Gakpo makes Rio Ngumoha feelings clear as calls for Liverpool start growREAD MORE: 4 things spotted in Liverpool training with Mohamed Salah reaction as Florian Wirtz fears grow“You see that his playing time has improved massively over the last few weeks and there is a reason for that, because he developed and became a better player,” Slot said on Friday ahead of the Reds’ Premier League clash against West Ham United.“I think it is only positive that people start to talk about him because that tells you he does really well.“That is something we like and it is another example of a player that is developing, in the last six, seven, eight months towards a player that people want to see more and more.

That is due to the fact that he does well when he comes in.“The highlight is on his great one-v-one action, and it should be because I have sat here many times and spoken about how difficult it is to beat [someone] one v one, and how important that is in football, but he had a few other actions and moments in that game that we also talk about and where pundits maybe don’t talk about that much.“That is part of a development of a player and I really like where he is at in his development, and I would be surprised, if he stayed fit, if not more minutes will come in the near future.”Ngumoha was excellent in the win over Forest(Image: Getty Images)Ngumoha’s maturity shone through on and off the pitch at the City Ground. However, he also emphasized the team’s needs above his own and referenced his desire to continue his progression.Slot said Ngumoha’s mentality, along with his talent, makes the academy protege a joy to manage, insisting the media spotlight has not impacted him.“It’s totally not difficult because of how he is, and that is something special for a 17-year-old to be hyped like he is.

Not only now, I think that is throughout his whole career, which is not so long, there has been a lot of talk about him because we can all see how special he is and his talent.Slot praised Ngumoha's mindset at 17 years old.(Image: Getty Images)“He is handling that situation really well, which is a big compliment to him but also his parents, who raised him that he is down to earth, works really hard, just keeps going and doesn’t lose his head because a few pundits have given feedback about his game.“That is something you need if you want to make the next step because if you start believing how special you are after a few comments from pundits, that is probably not the way to become the player he wants to become.“He is down to earth, works hard and understands which part of his game he needs to improve, which is even more abnormal for a 17-year-old, but we have to keep his special quality and that is beating players in one-v-one.“That is not 10 out of 10 times working, and it doesn’t have to be, but he has to keep on trying. That is a quality that is special and that is why we want to take such good care of him because we have a lot of belief in how special he is.”